


The Secret of Jack Frost

by LeafontheWinf2



Category: Guardians of Childhood - William Joyce, Rise of the Guardians (2012), Secret of Kells (2009)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brigid of Kildare, Celtic Mythology & Folklore, Don't Worry...eventual happy ending, Goddess Brigid, Good Pitch Black, Human Jack Frost, Hurt Jack Frost, Ireland, Irish gypsies, Jack Frost's Death, M/M, Post-War, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Saints, Secret of Kells Inspired, St. Frost, Tinkers, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-19
Updated: 2016-01-29
Packaged: 2018-05-14 22:32:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 30,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5761360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeafontheWinf2/pseuds/LeafontheWinf2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three hundred years ago, Jackson Overland was saved from drowning by the mercy of the Nightmare King. Following that he was pulled into a land of myth and superstition as Jack attempts to navigate this brave new world. </p><p>Today, the children of the world are under attack. But with no Jack Frost, how will the Guardian's prevail over the darkness?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A Touch of Fear](https://archiveofourown.org/works/951053) by [ananiah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ananiah/pseuds/ananiah). 



> Oh my lord, this story is a monster. I started it last June when I was hit by inspiration. I was in Ireland and was watching television. There was this movie on in Irish Gaelic and Infell absolutely in love with it and just had to write so dig based off of it. This movie is "The Secret of Kells" and I am so thankful to have seen it. 
> 
> I wanted to show two points of view in this story. One is the modified Rise of the Guardian's plot with Jack not being there. The other is Jadk and Pitch's developing relationship in the past. So please look out for the dates to keep track of everything. 
> 
> And this is an AU. I will be changing things so it works with my plot.

There is a place hidden deep in the mountains. Far back beyond the forests, hidden among trees and among the lakes where no one can see. A simple house sits quietly between two lakes in a place where magic is very real. People can feel it in the very air that they breathe, can feel it twisting into their bones. This was the land of saints and magic. A sacred and holy place of healing.

Located between these two lakes stands a small thatched cottage. A cheerful garden grows in front of it filled with flowers and herbs that fill the air with sweet perfume. Light curtains flutter in the air from the open window and catch the starlight that flutters down to the forest floor. Hidden inside wooden walls is a simple home from ages long past when families slept together and huddled for warmth.

Far in the back of the room, away from the fire, lay a bed. Only one small figure slept inside its covered by blankets decorated by constellations and swirling stars, hidden from the cruel world behind the door. A young boy sleeps there, a peaceful smile on his face as he snuggles into the black cat next to him.

Outside the wind stirs. Heavy clouds cover the seeing-moon and let the shadows grow. In the cottage the darkness rises and becomes a thick and present thing. It twists and writhes into the shape of a man, killing the fire's light. On the bed, the figure moans, stirring in sleep as the man draws closer.

Outside the land goes quiet in fear. Soft whispers fill the air from the surrounding spirits. "Nightmare King," the whisper, "The Nightmare King has come to the valley!"

And indeed, it is so. The destroyer of planets sweeps across the floor of the small cottage to loom over the figure on the bed. Golden eyes bear down the human shape twisting among the sheets as the fearsome Pitch Black stands quiet.

Slowly, a grey hand reaches out to to tangle in ivory white hair. The cloak of fear is set aside as he settles carefully on the bed, curling over the figure. And the hint of a smile begins to appear as beautiful blue eyes flutter open in the cool night air. A soft gasp breaks the quiet before the rustling of sheets echoes across the valley. Now the figure, a boy really, is sitting up clinging to the hand that is tangled in his hair. A shy smile crosses the young face even as the old nightshirt slips down a pale shoulder.

"Pitch," the boy breathes, swaying closer to the being of fear.

And Pitch Black simply smiles back. But this is a softer smile, a loving smile as he trails his fingers from pale hair to the column of the boys throat. Neither will speak of what he feels there, not when Pitch holds such fragile life in such terrible hands. "Hello Jack," Pitch murmurs to the darkness, before dragging the boy back down to the sheets below.

Outside, the clouds cover the moon. And the valley stirs in fear over the going on inside of the cottage between two lakes.

~*~

April 4, 2012

It starts with the black horses in the night. Katherine has heard the children whisper about them fearfully. Their diaries and notebooks fill with descriptions and simple drawings of the beasts. At first glance, they seem simple enough to defeat. Simply destroy the horses and the problem goes away. Or at least that is what the others seem to think of course. The problem starts to get worse and worse as the time goes on.

They grow even more restless as the nights go on. Katherine can only watch helplessly as the creatures begin to attack her friends when they run across each other. Toothiana never says it out loud, but the worry is clear on her beautiful face. She is scared that her fairies will keep being attacked as the black horses grow bolder. Even worse is how worn down Sandy now looks. He used to be bright and cheerful as he sent out his dreams to the children of the world. Now though Sandy was beginning to dull around the edges as the black horses were destroying the dreamsand creations.

It was three days to Easter now. And Katherine knew Bunnymund was scared that his holiday was going to suffer an attack from the horses that would destroy the special day. Katherine was afraid of that as well. If Bunnymund's holiday failed and belief dipped then her dear friend could be gravely weakened. On top of that, with how aggressive the black horses were it was likely that Bunnymund would be hurt by them.

The black horses were the first threat. They were made even worse soon after. New monsters were appearing around the world that made the black horses look cuddly and cute. These ones were strange twisted creatures of sinew and bone that lurched around the ground and were hunting down the Guardians.

Sandy had to avoid them more and more often. It had gotten so bad Nightlight began traveling with him to fight off the strange monsters who were trying to tear into the dreamsand with their rotting fingers. It was so strange and no one knew how to deal with it.

"It has to be Pitch," Bunnymund snarled one day, stalking back and forth in the workshop. Katherine just curled into herself on a couch, scared of her friend's rage in these attacks. "Only he would summon these types of monsters to fight us."

"The black sand horses are his, there is no doubt," North murmured. The normally jolly man looked his age in the face of the terror slowly gaining on the world of men. "But these sinew men? I have never heard of them before."

Toothiana shifted nervously. "Maybe they're a new breed of nightmare men?" She offered softly. It was obvious she didn't want to say it, but the possibility needed to be examined. Even if it was one of the scariest thoughts she ever voiced.

Nightlight's glow faltered at the question as a deep seated horror grew in his eyes. They knew how to fight the nightmare men. After losing entire galaxies they had finally figured out a way to fight them off. But if the nightmare men evolved? Then there would be nothing they could do. Pitch would finally win. "We need to strike while we still can," Nightlight said coldly. "Pitch grows stronger the longer we wait. Fear is getting stronger as these new monsters walk the earth."

"Maybe there's something in the library about what these creatures are. I can go look," Katherine volunteered for the job quickly. She wasn't a soldier, or a great warrior. She was a scholar and that was where her strengths lied. Her dear friends knew this as well, Katherine could tell from the relief on their faces at her suggestion. It would cause them less worry if she were here in the great library instead of out there where the strange new creatures could get to her.

It still warms her heart when Nightlight caught her arm and whispered "be careful" before letting her go. Their relationship was still a little complicated even after all of their years as friends. Neither is willing to make the first move towards something more. Fear once again is what keeps them from confessing. The fear of ruining a relationship, the fear of a bad breakup causing them to stop speaking to each other. It was strange at how they constantly fought against Pitch but they were still ruled by the tiny little fears that existed in daily life. Sometimes Katherine wanted to laugh at the whole situation.

There was something different about walking down the hallway to the library tonight. Usually Katherine enjoyed the walk, it was quite nice to take a break from the bustle of the workshop, but right now the deserted hallway didn't feel warm and welcoming. Instead it felt almost menacing. The silence was pressing down on her from all sides and dampened even her footsteps. The shadows were creeping across the hallway with sinister intent and it made Katherine afraid.

Could it be possible for Pitch to have crept into the workshop to get to them?

Katherine paused worriedly and that pause was all the shadows needed. They lunged forward, wrapping around her limbs and gagging her quickly. Her eyes widened in horror even as the shadows dragged her out of the workshop and through them to somewhere else.

She hit the rocky ground hard as the shadows dispersed. Katherine scrambled to her feet, staring in horror at the sight around her. Fearlings were crouched around her in the cavern, twisted into grotesque shapes as they hissed at each other in chittering voices.

This was not where Katherine ever wanted to be. Stranded and alone without a weapon at the mercy of the Fearlings. It was hard not to hold herself for comfort as the Fearlings crept closer. It was harder not to show any fear on her face and muster up all the defiance she could manage. "Why am I here?" Katherine demanded when actually she meant why was she still alive? But the Fearlings didn't answer.

Even stranger, they didn't creep closer to her or hurt her in any way. They just watched blankly and hissed to each other before skittering away back into the shadows. That...was more alarming than Katherine wanted to admit. She was scared of what was happening right in front of her now.

"Ah, excellent. You arrived."

It was not Pitch Black who said that. Katherine turned and came face to face with someone else standing in front of her. She noted how Pitch stood behind this stranger with a resigned look on his face and an air of defeat covering him. The Fearlings hissed in agitation and moved away from the stranger to cower behind Pitch. What was happening here?

"You are Katherine, yes?" The stranger asked, a slight German accent marring his words.

"I...I am," Katherine whispered unnerved by how silent Pitch had been. The stranger wasn't even that intimidating to look at. He was about her age with a fae expression on his face. Messy brown hair was wind swept and the dashing of freckles over the bridge of his nose was cute in a way.

But his eyes. There was something wrong with them. The bright red eyes tracked every movement of hers like she was an interesting insect. Something inhuman was present in those eyes, something ancient and malicious.

"Katherine," he breathed with an easy smile that made chills crawl down her spine in terror, "The linchpin of the Guardians. Isn't that right Pitch?"

An expression of distaste flashed across Pitch's face as he was addressed. "She is," Pitch ground out, the disgust clear in his face.

"Prefect," the stranger purred a sick smile spreading across his face, "Yes, she will do quite well for my plans." The Fearlings stopped their chatter. Pitch stiffened up, rage darkening his face. The stranger's smile just grew.

"Kill her," he whispered.

Pitch's eyes narrowed as his lips thinned in rage. A dark expression crossed his face as he took a step away from the stranger. "No," Pitch hissed.

That...was not what she was expecting. Actually Katherine had no idea what she was expecting anymore from this whole bizarre situation. Why was Pitch defending her right now? Wasn't he allies with this new person?

"No? Oh come now Pitch, is that really the answer you want to give?" The stranger hissed, rage darkening his youthful features. "You know what will happen if you defy me." A knife appeared in a pale hand. Katherine covered her mouth as the stranger pointed to point to his own eye, threatening to gouge it out. "Tell me Pitch, do you want me to maim this body?"

The Fearlings all lunged forward, skittering towards the stranger. But as the point of the knife was pressed against the pupil, they all froze. Pitch's face was completely blank. All emotion was wiped clean as he waved the Fearlings back into the shadows before he bowed his head in defeat. "One day soon, you will make a mistake," the rage in Pitch's voice was clear to Katherine. No matter how beaten down he seemed, Pitch was still ready to fight. "And once you misstep, I will be there ready to destroy you Faust."

And with that, Pitch swept past Faust to tower over Katherine. His face was still unreadable, but Katherine could see a deep grief shining in the golden depths. What had happened to make Pitch so sad over the years.

Pitch leaned down to Katherine's level. She was settled there, frozen in fear before he began to speak. "Go to the cottage hidden in the sacred isle," Pitch whispered into her ear, "Find the boy who guides the lost and hopeless, he will help you. Just tell him Pitch sent you."

Pulling back, Pitch snapped his fingers and the Fearlings lunged forward. Katherine screamed as they grabbed her and dragged her back into the shadows. No matter how hard she struggled Katherine was unable to break free as she was pulled further into the darkness. The entire time, the Fearlings whispered in her ears.

_Faust will hunt you. Hunt you across the world. Hunt you like he did the boy._

Boy? What boy? Were they talking about Nightlight? Katherine had no idea how she could warn him stuck like she was.

 _The boy liked up. Like the Master. Made him smile. But then Faust made the boy go away. Now the boy is hidden, hidden where no one will look_.

Katherine's screams stopped as she was thrown from the shadows to hit the ground. The soft grass and moss did little to cushion her fall. All she could do was lie there and listen to the birds cheep above her, and feel the light shining down on her before the darkness claimed her.

_The boy will help. He will save us all. The Fearlings whispered, receding into the shadows. He guards the book that turns darkness into light._

~*~  
February 4th, 1669

It starts on a winter's day over three hundred years ago. There is a boy and a girl who are skating on the ice. A simple pastime for those who are used to the winter but this one is much more deadly. Because the ice is thin on that day and begins to crack under the girl's feet.

Everyone has heard this part of the story. They know how the brave boy takes off his skates to save her from death. But what they don't know is who is watching them. Their fear is thick and cloying, filling the air of the glen and catching the attention o a certain Nightmare King.

Pitch Black watches as the girls begins to cry. He stands amongst the shadows of the trees while the boy smiles at the girl.

"We're going to have a little fun," the boy whispers before skipping across the ice. The girl copies him, and that is when the boy lashes out with his crook and drags her to safety. But now he is on thin ice and Pitch already knows what will happen. He is moving even as the ice cracks beneath the boy's feet. The shadows under the lake drag him down into the gloom before the cold can kill him.

And so Pitch finds himself standing in his lair holding a young man, boy really. Both dripping wet, and the boy unconscious in his arms. Water pools beneath their feet as Pitch glides across the floor to place the boy on a bed made of shadows.

He is beautiful, Pitch realizes absently. Thin grey fingers trace the freckles across too pale cheeks, and hungry golden eyes are drawn to the delicate mouth that is sucking in air instead of water.

 _Such a pretty boy_ the Fearlings hiss around him, _He would make a good Nightmare Queen. Here besides us for all of time..._

It is tempting. To own this bright star completely. To be able to lose himself in the frail looking body resting on his bed. But Pitch saw the light in his eyes at the pond. And to turn this boy into something else, a Fearlings, would destroy that light and leave him with nothing left. Just an empty shell of nothingness that lacked the bright light of life.

Never before had Pitch wanted to guard life.

"Leave him," Pitch ordered the circling Fearlings, "This one will stay the same. This one...this one we give back."

With a wave of his hand, Pitch summoned the shadows and sent the boy back to the lake he had saved him from. A moment of weakness and Pitch covered the water logged form with a blanket of shadows before disappearing back into the darkness. The boy would go home. He would live a bright and wonderful life, marry some girl and have children of his own.

Pitch would never see Jackson Overland again.

~*~

April 5, 2012

There was a girl lying on the grass of the glen. The boy frowned as he approached her, hiking up his backpack. He hadn't expected this when he started his hike, but now the whole mess had landed on his lap. This was so completely bizarre to see.

This girl looked completely strange. A Victorian era dress, rather beautiful. It looked authentic, not like someone playing dress up or heading to a role play type of thing. And really, who would go to play dress up in the middle of the woods?

Kneeling down, he began to shake her shoulders. "Miss, are you alright?" The boy demanded, worry clear in his voice.

A low groan left her as the girl began to get up. She blinked slowly even as she pushed herself up. Her brown hair began to fall out of the perfect bun to curl around her face. "Where...where am I?" She asked, looking around her in fear.

"Miss, are you alright?" He asked again reaching into his bag to pull out some water, "Are you thirsty? Do you need water...you look like you need water. I mean, you're running around in the middle of summer in a thick dress..."

"I'm in a forest," she whispered in fear, "I'm standing in the middle of a forest. Which forest, where am I? Who are you?"

"I'm Trevor," he said absently helping the girl to sit up, "Honestly, why were you walking around a forest in this dress?"

"I wasn't in a forest, I was at the North Pole," she snapped grumpily. Trevor struggled not to say anything to that answer. Maybe the heat had fried her brain. "Now tell me where I am!"

"Glendalough," Trevor said, helping her onto her feet.

"Where?"

"Glendalough? It's a good hiking area. I'm backpacking through here," Trevor admitted. "Miss, are any of your friends here? Were you hiking with them? Did something happen?"

"I'm not Miss, I'm Katherine," she said crossly brushing dirt off of her skirt while looking around the glen. "I shouldn't be here...I need to be somewhere else."

Trevor's eyes widened. "You're lost," he whispered nervously. His eyes searched the tree branches looking for something he knew would be there.

"No! Well, yes, technically I'm lost," Katherine sighed in frustration, "I don't even know where I'm supposed to go!"

"Then you are lost," Trevor breathed out, awe coloring his voice. Katherine scowled at his tone. She knew she was lost, he didn't have to keep rubbing it in!

A soft meow cut through the air.

They both turned and looked at where the meow had come from. Sitting on one of the trees was a black cat. Golden eyes stared down at them from the haughty face of the feline as it stretched slowly on the bow. Another meow left the cat even as it came jumping daintily to the ground.

It stalked around Kathrine, rubbing against her dress, before darting towards a small path in the ferns. The cat paused there, watching Katherine with its golden red eyes and mewed again.

"It wants you to follow," Trevor whispered, awe in his voice.

Katherine stared nervously at the cat. "Where is it going to take me?" She asked Trevor.

"To the saint," Trevor said, a wide smile on his face, "It will take you to the saint who will help you find the way."

"Which saint?"

"Saint Frost, patron saint of the lost," Trevor's whisper caused the winds to stir. Katherine shivered as the chilly air curled around her. "Well? Go on," Trevor hissed, "If you want help, St. Frost is the best place to start!"

There weren't a lot of other options for her now, were there. Katherine sighed before hiking her skirts up and following after the cat. The pair of them disappeared into the lush underbrush, following the tiny little path that showed through the ferns. It was beautiful, Katherine couldn't help but smile at it. This place was a paradise. She could easily see Bunnymund spending hours here among the flowers.

The cat led her to a little brook that flowed merrily along the path. Small fish were swimming within it, flashes of silver shining in the air. The birds flew through the air around them, singing happily and twittering by the trees. Katherine though was focused on the cat. The cat that ignored the birds and focused on leading her through the woods.

It wasn't natural. Cats didn't act like that.

The little brook widened into a river that flowed to a rocky outcropping. A waterfall crawled down it to form the river Katherine had been following for sometime. The whole clearing was surrounded by beautiful green trees that looked too perfect to be real. Adding to the whole image was a small cottage sitting in front of a beautiful garden that the cat was headed towards.

It turned to face her one last time and let out an annoyed meow before climbing into the window with one last swish of its tail.

Taking a deep breath, Katherine gathered up her skirts and started towards the cottage. Her annoyance became even worse when she had to cross the stream and her skirt soaked up the water. But still, she managed to get across and stomped up to the door. Raising her hand, Katherine pounded on the wooden door before planting her hands on her hips.

"Come on in," called a cheerful voice from inside of the cottage, "The doors unlocked!"

Katherine blinked before trying the knob. The door swung wide open and Katherine had a choice to make. She could step through, into some strangers home, and trust they would help her. Or she could turn around and leave as quickly as she could, get out of here and never look back. It all came to this decision.

The sound of her boot on the wooden floor echoed in her ears. Katherine took another breath to steady her nerves and continued onwards into the cottage. She couldn't help herself from looking around at all the little things that were gathered in the cottage.

It was a cheerful place, with bright green curtains embroidered with yellow. A cabinet held an impressive array of bone china and little knick knacks from all around the world. Katherine was especially taken by the delicate faberge egg that sat on a little stand. A large patterned curtain blocked off half of the cottage, showing a rearing black horse made of knots on a dark green pattern.

"If you give me just a minute, I'll be out with some tea," the voice called from behind the curtain. "Tea makes everything better you know. Just take a seat at the table and I'll be right out!"

Katherine nervously sat down at the tiny table. She nervously tucked her feet under the chair and stared at the stack of books on the table. A loud meow sounded, and Katherine turned to see the cat come running out from behind the curtain to jump onto the table in front of her.

"Please excuse Labraid," the voice called out as a small figure came darting out from behind the curtain with a tea tray in hand. "She's a bit of a handful really. But she's a real friend and a great guard out here." And then the stranger turned around and Katherine actually got a good look at him.

And really, Kathering was justified for screaming when she saw him. The boy looked exactly like the stranger who had been controlling Pitch. The same big eyes, the same freckles across his nose. The only difference was the blue eyes and the white hair.

The boy blinked at her slowly before lowering the tea tray onto the table before sliding into the seat across from her. The cat, Labraid, jumped into his lap and began to pur.

"That is a rather extreme reaction to seeing someone," he commented mildly, "I brought you tea. You should have some, it makes most things better I've found. Now that you're calmer, I have a question for you?" His icy blue eyes hardened. "Why is a girl, dressed like you, wandering around the woods by herself?"

 Katherine wasn't entirely sure what she could say. She could have told him about the Guardian's, or how Pitch Black had sent her through the darkness to these woods. There was even the stranger controlling Pitch who had made all of this mess start by taking control of the Fearlings. Or did it all begin with the Golden Age and their arrogance at believing they could defeat Fear once and for all.

But for some reason, Katherine did not actually say any of that. Tears welled up in her eyes before spilling over down her cheeks. A sob tore free of her throat as she thought of Nightlight all alone out there facing down whatever stranger was out there that was hurting Pitch and destroying her world. Helplessness welled up deep inside of her, clinging to every nook and cranny while the stranger watched with his unreadable blue eyes.

"I'm lost," Katherine sobbed out, "I'm lost, and have no idea where to go, or what to do now!"

Strong arms pulled her in for a tight hug. Katherine let out an embarrassing wail as the stranger tucked her head under his chin, cuddling her close like a small child. "It's going to be alright sweetheart," the stranger cooed, petting her hair gently, "I'm going to help you. Don't worry."

"How can you possibly help me? Who are you?" Katherine gasped out because how could this be real? How could some stranger living in the woods help her when the Guardian's couldn't? How could she trust some stranger Pitch sent her to? "What do I even call you?"

"Call me Jack," he pulled back and smile gently at her. A pale finger brushed a tear off of Katherine's cheek. "But the people around here call me St. Frost, patron saint of the lost. And I help people find their way again. It's what I'm best at."

~*~  
February 17th, 1669

Jackson woke up shivering by the lakeside. His teeth were chattering as he struggled to stand, his fingers and toes turned blue from the cold. Stumbling to his feet Jack wrapped his ragged thin cloak around him and started for home.

Jackson didn't notice the trail of black sand that fell off his clothing. Or the strange creature with glowing eyes that followed him from the shadows.

The bitter cold was biting into his fingers and Jackson...he was afraid, alright? Terrified that the cold would get him where the ice hadn't and someone would find his frozen corpse in the thaw. It caused tears of desperation to stream down his cheeks as he struggled onwards. A sob of delight left Jack's throat as he saw the tiny cabins of his home village.

He was safe! He was home! Jackson couldn't wait to curl up by the fire with his mother's thickest blankets around him and just sleep off the cold. Anything to make the burning stop.

Jackson stumbled as he reached the edge the village. Leaning against one of the cabins, he summoned what was left of his voice. "Please..." Jackson gasped out, "Help me..."

The entire village square froze. Jackson could see the horror and fear plain on their faces as they studied him. He continued to shiver in the cold, not understanding why they were staring at him like that.

"Is...is that the Overland boy?" Thomas Bennett whispered, taking a fearful step back.

"It can't be," widow Thompson mumbled, dropping her basket to the ground, "He died! Jackson drowned! We buried him!"

What? Jackson could only blink in confusion at that. He hadn't drowned, he was standing right here! There was nothing wrong with him. "But...I'm not dead," Jackson mumbled the slightest tint of fear beginning to form.

"It must be a ghost," one of the men hissed, shooting Jackson untrusting looks, "Come back to haunt us because we can't give the Overland boy a proper funeral."

The other villagers muttered in agreement at that. Their fear hung heavy in the air and all Jackson wanted to do was go home. Their whispers about him were growing worse and worse and all Jackson wanted to do was turn and run. But some deep seated fear kept Jackson from running away. He was frozen in place.

"He must be a demon!" One of the village girl's screamed. Jackson stumbled back as the fearful cry was taken up by the other villagers. One of the older men took up the girl's cry of demon and reached down to pick up a stone from the ground.

Jackson still couldn't move when the man pulled his arm back. He didn't react or move until the old man's stone hit his cheek and sent Jackson stumbling back in shock. Reaching up, Jackson touched his hair line to check the damage. His shaking hand was stained by blood, Jackson realized as horror grew in his throat and gut. The blacksmith had thrown a stone at him!

The next stone made Jack stumbled again. The third one brought tears to his eyes and the forth one sent Jackson sprinting into the forest again in the hopes that it will save him from the wrath of the villagers.

Jackson doesn't know it, but this moment changes his entire life. Because the creature from the shadows is the one to rear out of the darkness and terrify the villagers back to their little cottages and away from the running boy.

The Fearling crept through the shadows as it approached the boy. Human children were always so delicate, the Fearling mused, always so easy to cry and run away from the monsters in the night. Monsters like the Fearling.

But this boy was already scared and he had already run. There was no reason for the Fearling to make it worse. Not when it knew somewhere deep inside that it needed to keep the boy alive and happy. So the Fearling reached deep inside of itself and found a form that wouldn't scare the child away. It took quite a bit of searching before the Fearling finally settled on an appropriate form.

Sure, it was much smaller that the Fearlings true form. And it felt rather vulnerable as it padded across the snow to approach the running Jackson boy. Tiny paw prints were left behind even as the Fearling crawled up to the Jackson boy's side and let out a happy mew. Jackson boy blinked before a bright smile spread across the tear stained face.

"Why hello there," Jackson boy whispered reaching out to gather the Fearling into his arms. The Fearling blinked in surprise as the boy buried his face in its brand new fur. "You're not afraid of me, are you?" Jackson boy whispered, tears thick in his voice. And of course the Fearling wasn't afraid. It was fear. Why should this thin boy make it worry?

"Everyone else is afraid of me," Jackson boy whispered brokenly, "All of the villagers think I'm some kind of demon when...mercy of God. I just want to go home!"

Well that was easy enough. The Fearling would take Jackson boy back to his true home. Not the pathetic village who had made the Jackson boy cry but the first home. The first home Jackson boy had come from all the way across the sea. That was where they would go next.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the present, Katherine learns more about why she is in Ireland and what she's supposed to do. In the past, Jack and Pitch begin to fall in love. Well, eventually they fall in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Background for this chapter: Jack travels back to his home in Ireland to meet the remainder of his family. His family clan is a group of Catholics trying to survive in a time of religious war when the Puritains are trying to kill them off. This is what led Jack's clan into becoming Tinkers (basically Irish gypsies) as they attempt to survive. 
> 
> Added to that, Cat and Labraid are the same person. The difference is that when the Fearling becomes Cat, it is barely sentient and separate. After three hundred years it is able to form an identity as Labraid instead of being just Cat.
> 
> Brigid: there are two parts to her. The first is she was one of three faces of the Mother Goddess, and the other is St. Brigid of Kildare. In my story, the goddess became the saint as her story passed down through generations and caused Brigid to change. 
> 
> That should be everything of import in this chapter. If there's anything that needs to be clarified, let me know and I'll explain in next chapter's notes.

May 7th, 1670

Jack, no longer Jackson, had changed greatly in the year since he had nearly drowned. It had been difficult to recreate his life all over again when everything of connection was still tied to the village. Jack had been terrified the first time he had stumbled into the coastal town that would one day become Philadelphia and encountered people again. Jack had been convinced they would look at him and see a demon before chasing him out of town.

Instead, Jack had been fussed over by several people who outfitted him in clothes once more. Dirty bare feet were placed in shoes, tattered clothes were traded for more respectable ones. At first Jack had been wary of the constant kindness he faced after spending months on end traveling the mountain paths to get to a new home. But the whole thing had been cleared up when the mayor had gruffly announced that it was their Christian duty to help men such as Jack out when they truly needed it.

That had been a year ago, when Jack had taken a job helping a cobbler in order to save up money for his trip home. Jack had been thankful for the kindness, but he needed to get out of the town as soon as possible. Men from his old village would be arriving any day now and Jack didn't want to be seen by any of them.

Thankfully Cat, the strange feline he had met the day he was run out of town, agreed. Cat was a rather strange creature who would disappear during the day and reappear at night with whatever Jack had needed clamped in his mouth. Some nights Jack would wander into the house and find Cat's prize sitting in front of the fire.

Like the day Jack had walked inside only to freeze when finding an entire doe lying in front of the fire. Jack had just stared in shock as Cat preened smugly before the carcass. "How," Jack whispered, shutting the door behind him, "You're smaller than a loaf of bread!"

Cat, the jerk, had just meowed smugly back at Jack before stalking off to sleep on Jack's pillow. There was something strange about that animal. But Jack wasn't in the type of situation where he could leave his friends because they happened to be weird cats who were far too mysterious for their own good.

That had been just a year ago, but felt like a lifetime to Jack. He tried not to remember what had happened before he'd gotten on the boat that took him to the Old World. It had felt like coming home when Jack had stepped onto the land of his parents. He had never touched it before, Jack had been born in America when his parents had fled due to the war. But the moment Jack had walked off the dock onto Irish soil, he'd smiled and felt like the weight of the world was off his shoulders.

Now Jack was happy with his life. He and Cat had found a place where they fit in perfectly. The Overland Clan had welcomed Jack home with wide open arms. The people were kind and understanding. They accepted the strangeness of Cat with fond head shakes of their heads before they went on with their days. At first Jack had been confused by their easygoing nature, until the first full moon back in the old country. Somehow Cat had become normal after watching fae dancing in a fairy-ring under the light of a blue moon on the bogs.

But it was hard to live this kind of life. Jack had struggled the first while with living in the road and traveling from town to town. Being and Irish tinker meant he was destined for pain. The soldiers looked down on them, whispering that they were “white gypsies” and not to be trusted. The Englishmen sneered at them for being dirty Irish, and their Protestant brothers spat on them for clinging to the Catholic faith.

Life was harder than ever yes, but Jack wouldn’t trade it for the world. He had found a nice place in the camp by looking after the children. When their parents would go into town to sell their wares, Jack and Cat would look after the little ones and keep them happy and entertained. And for a long time, Jack was quite happy.

Until it all changed one night.

It started out simply enough. The night sky was dark with the moon gone and the stars conceded by clouds. The witching hour came finding Jack and Cat asleep in their home. A noise had sounded outside and Cat had woken Jack up with a low growl before disappearing out of Jack's wagon with an angry yowl. That had been an hour ago. Jack had decided to go after Cat when the worry for waiting his furry friend to return had proven to be too much. So Jack had clambered down the steps and headed into the woods calling out for Cat.

The walk through the woods was scarily silent. No night birds were singing, no bugs hummed in the air. Just a heavy silence was settled across the whole of the woods and it made the hair on the back of Jack's neck stand on end. This was not natural silence. Something was out there and it made Jack fear for Cat. His little friend could be seriously hurt by a large dog or predator and Jack didn't know what he'd do without Cat.

Tripping over a moss colored rock, Jack stumbled into an open clearing in the woods. Somehow he managed to catch himself before he hit the ground but it was one of the least graceful movements he'd ever committed. Which was made even worse because someone was already standing on the clearing.

Jack blinked slowly as he took in the grey man standing under the shadows of the trees. For a brief second Jack was captivated by the man's glowing golden eyes until a furious yowl cut through the silence. Eyes darting down, Jack couldn't keep his indignant gasp quiet because the man was holding Cat by the neck. Jack's tiny friend was struggling wildly, hissing and spitting as he tried to get free.

A normal person would turn and run when facing such a situation. They wouldn't stomp further into the clearing until they were nose to nose with the grey man and glare defiantly back. But Jack wasn't normal. He had been called a demon, cast out, and sailed across an ocean to live his life. What could this man do to him?

With this thought in mind, Jack drew himself up and glared at the grey man. "Let go of my cat," he snarled.

~*~

One of his Fearlings was missing. That had never happened before, not in the millennia Pitch had to deal with them. Sure, some Fearlings had died or been destroyed by the Lunar Armies and the Guardian's but they never just disappeared.

Pitch could feel the Fearling still. It was alive and well as it could possibly be and Pitch had no idea what it was thinking.

This particular Fearling had disappeared to follow after the boy who fell through the ice. Pitch had understood then, the boy had been radiating fear so it was natural for creatures who fed on it to follow. Then there had been the feast of fear it had eaten when the boy had returned to the village and Pitch assumed that would be it. The Fearling, now well fed, would simply come back and rejoin the others.

But then it didn't. The Fearling stayed with the boy for over a year. Pitch had forgotten about it for quite some time until the Guardian's had decided to attack him once again. He'd needed every single Fearling a available to fend them off and one of them was missing!

Well enough was enough and Pitch was going to go collect the stupid creature.

"What the hell is it doing in Ireland?" Pitch grumbled, emerging from the shadows to a small camp located in the Irish countryside. There was fear radiating off of the camp, fear of where their next meal would come from, fear of not having enough clothes for winter, fear of soldiers discovering them.

Ah, of course. A war over religion was warring here and these people were on the wrong side. They had to hide from the soldiers and hope to make it to the next day. A place a Fearling should be feasting on and making worse but this one wasn't. This one was ignoring the people's fear and...and hunting rats? Really? Pitch had no idea how to deal with this mess anymore.

He didn't have to go far to find the Fearling. All Pitch had to do was take three steps into the camp before a furious yowl split the air. Pitch just blinked as the Fearling, in the shape of a cat, went streaking out from one of the caravans and straight into the woods. Did the ridiculous thing actually think that would work?

It was easy to glide through the shadows to outrage the Fearling and get in front of it. Pitch reformed at the very edge of a clearing as the Fearling came scampering towards him. It let out an indignant yowl as Pitch sent out a wave of shadows to grab it and drag it close.

"What are you doing here?" Pitch demanded, using his shadows to pull the Fearling up to eye level, "There was a battle with the Guardian's and we needed all hands on deck!"

The Fearling, that was capable of speech, decided instead of responding normally that it would meow at Pitch.

"You are not a cat," Pitch hissed, well aware of how ridiculous this whole mess looked, "Stop it!"

The Fearling hissed at Pitch, actually hissed like a cat, and that was the last straw. Furious, Pitch reached out and grabbed the miserable creature by the neck and gave it a good shake. "Look here you little beast," Pitch snarled, "You will stop this ridiculous charade and return to the others!"

It was after that outburst that the whole situation became even worse as some happened upon the whole ridiculous scene. This was exactly what Pitch needed, a witness to him yelling at the Fearling-who-wished-to-be-a-cat.

The boy, the same boy who had fallen through ice, came stumbling into the clearing. His wife brown eyes locked with Pitch's and time seemed to come to a standstill as they regarded each other across the tiny glade. And then the boy exploded into motion, fury crossing his handsome face.

"Let go of my cat," the boy snarled and that was enough to get Pitch to snap back into the argument.

The nerve of this boy, to demand anything if the Nightmare King. "Leave now boy," Pitch snapped back, focusing on the Fearling again, "This does not concern you."

The boy's glare sharpened as he drew himself up, no doubt preparing for a fight. It would be intimidating if the child had been a little taller. Instead, his eyes were level with Pitch's breastbone. "It concerns me when you hurt my friend," the boy snapped back, "Let him go."

"Child, I will not tell you again. Leave before I am forced to deal with you..."

"I said let Cat go!" The wind picked up as the boy yelled at him. Brown eyes flashed even as the leaves were flung into the air and whirled around the pair. A chill spread through the clearing as frost left up the tree trunks while something forced Pitch's hand to unclench. Numb fingers let the Fearling slip free and go running back to the boy who had refused to stop glaring.

"What did you do?" Pitch hissed, taking a step back from the boy. This shouldn't be possible. Some child living in the middle of Ireland shouldn't have this effect on Pitch Black! He was the Nightmare King, he should not be forced to bow to the whims of this child.

The boy didn't respond right away, first making sure to kneel down and pick up the Fearling. There was something bizarre about seeing the child cuddling a Fearling close without a care in the world. "You don't know much about the Rule of Three, do you?" the boy said back coolly before turning on his heel to leave, "I thought the fae were smarter than that."

Fae? What did the fae have to do with this? Pitch could only watch numbly as the child stomped out of the clearing all the while cooing to the Fearling about if the mean fae had hurt him. Well, there was only one real response to that. "I'm not fae," Pitch called after the boy's retreating back, annoyance clear in his voice.

Who was that boy, and why had he reappeared now?

~*~  
April 5, 2012

It was easy enough for Jack to get the girl to take his bed. It wasn't like Jack slept in it much these days. Most nights Jack would just sit outside and watch the stars and moon pass over his head. He was rather busy during the day so Jack didn't have time to wonder about the world passing outside of his little valley. But when Jack had a guest staying here?

Well, that was when he couldn't pretend that everything was alright.

Jack hated being trapped in this house, but there wasn't much he could do to change it. Jack had never been one to complain about how tough a situation was. Instead, Jack would just suck it up and keep struggling to get through any difficult day and make something better come the next morning. But after three hundred years of this?

Not even Jack could keep it up forever.

He'd started fading the last decade. Not for very long. But every now and then Jack would sit down somewhere and lose time. Anywhere from a couple of minutes to a few hours could be lost in a haze before Labraid, the dear cat, would bring Jack out of it and back into the light. The whole losing time thing had been getting worse in the last few years which made a small part of Jack terrified. But the larger part of him, that was exhausted and so tired with his existence, had already accepted that the end was coming for him.

A soft meow caught Jack's attention. Labraid crawled into his lap with a soft mew, rubbing her silky head against the underside of Jack's chin. It was so easy for Jack to wrap his arms around the cat and cuddle her close. He didn't know what he would have down without Labraid's support the last couple of centuries.

"What a mess Pitch got us in this time," Jack whispered, scratching the point behind Labraid's ear that turned her into a pile of mush. Labraid just rolled over onto her stomach and demanded that Jack rub it.

Jack, being the good friend he was, complied quickly. He had learned a long time ago to just do whatever Labraid demanded instead of taking claws to the hand or cheek. But Jack couldn't just sit there when his mind was going wild. He had to get up and go somewhere.

Luckily Labraid only felt the need to yowl indignantly instead of hurt Jack when he placed her down on a cushion before getting up and going outside. She just curled up into a tiny ball and watched Katherine sleep with slitted yellow eyes that glowed in the dark. To anyone else, it may have been creepy but Jack was used to it.

As he headed outside, Jack grabbed his staff from where it rested against the wall. It had been a gift from a friend back when Jack first moved into the cottage. "Protection," had been the reason Jack's friend had stated and Jack had been amazed when Pitch had agreed. Pitch hated it when Jack carried any sort of weapon with him. The arrogant shade would much rather prefer that Jack rely on him for protection.

But Jack always felt better about having the staff in hand when he went outside. It felt especially good tonight with the cloud covering the moon and stars, leaving darkness to spread across the forest. Night birds sung in the cheers as Jack wandered down a fern covered path deeper into the woods. It was peaceful for this time of year, without any wind blowing every which way and messing up Jack's hair.

The clear water of the upper lake reflected the clouds back up at the stormy sky. Jack smiled as he settled down on a rock to wait for his companion to join him here. It took a couple of minutes until the shadows grew around them signifying that Jack's friend had arrived.

The Nightmare King melted out of the shadows and swept across the rocky ground to stand by Jack's side. In another universe, Pitch would manage to look unassuming by this century. With his power drained by years of joy and hope, he would look washed out and rather normal in comparison to the monster he had once been.

But the Pitch Black that Jack knew had remained fully the Nightmare King. Powerful, and wearing his cloak of fear, Pitch Black was just as striking as he had been when Jack first met him in a different clearing near Galway. He shadows clung to him, trailing behind in every step and letting the Fearlings and Nightmares come streaking out from under his cloak.

And that part caught Jack's attention. No Fearlings trailed in Pitch's wake as he approached Jack, something that had never happened before. That caused Jack to be afraid, truly afraid, for the first time in centuries. And judging from the crumpling of Pitch's expression, he could feel the fear.

"What's wrong," Jack asked as Pitch settled onto a rock next to the young man. It was always annoying how poised Pitch was, and it always caused Jack to smile fondly. But tonight the smile couldn't come. "You look troubled."

"I'm fine Jack," Pitch murmured, keeping his eyes stoically locked on the water. The Nightmare King looked exhausted, with worry lines drawn across his face and skin even more grey than usual. Jack's eyes were drawn to Pitch's lap where both of his hands were clenched due to nerves. The clawed hands wrapped in fear and shadows were white knuckled from the force of their hold and it made Jack's heart hurt. It was even worse when Jack noticed the claws were cutting into Pitch's hands and sending black blood to trickle down to the valley floor.

"Stop that, you're hurting yourself," Jack scolded reaching out and taking Pitch's hands in his own pale ones. The shadows receded and left Pitch's naturally grey hands exposed to the cool air. Jack gently stroked the long fingers and made sure not to irritate the cuts that littered his hands. "You know a I hate it when you do things like this," Jack muttered crossly, "You idiot."

A low chuckle was Pitch's response. "I would be a fool to get you angry with me," Pitch rumbled softly leaning forward to press his forehead to Jack's. A heavy sigh left Pitch as he slumped forward, letting Jack take most of his considerable weight. "Do not worry yourself my dear," Pitch signed, "Nothing is wrong. I'm just a little tired right now."

"Liar," Jack muttered crossly pulling away, "Something bad is happening and you're trying to keep it from me. I thought you would have learned by now, hiding secrets gets you in trouble."

"How did you find out," Pitch sighed exhaustion clear in his face.

An arched eyebrow was all Jack's response. "About the time you sent Katherine here to my doorstep," Jack said dryly, a teasing smile crossing his face. "So why don't you tell me what you're planning so I can actually help instead of just wandering around without an idea of what's happening."

Pitch turned his face away from Jack to gaze at the water. "Faust is making a power play," Pitch stated and Jack felt the entire world go numb.

Faust was the one person in the entire world that Jack was terrified of beyond normal reason. He had been the monster to come from the shadows so long ago and had reduced Jack to this empty existence. It was Faust’s fault Jack was no longer classed among the living. He couldn't help from curling up into a small ball as pure terror rocked his entire body at the thought of that monster on the hunt. A broken sob left Jack's throat even as Pitch dragged Jack into a hard embrace.

"Why now?" Jack whispered, sobbing weakly into Pitch's shoulder, "After all this time, why would he come back now?"

"I don't know," Pitch admitted, brushing Jack's bangs from his eyes, "But I will stop him this time."

"What are you planning?" Jack demanded, clinging to Pitch's cloak with stiff fingers. "Please, Pitch, don't do something stupid!"

"What would you have me do? Let me leave him?" Pitch snarled and for a brief second Jack was falling as Pitch disappeared from out from under him. Luckily the shadows caught Jack before he could brain himself on a rock and settled him gently on the ground just as Potch reappeared a couple steps away cloaked once again in darkness. "Just roll over and let Faust continue to ruin everything!"

"I don't want you rushing into this blindly," Jack protested and that just seemed to make Pitch angrier. "This sort of thing needs careful preparation, more planning than whatever you just threw together! There has to be a better time, why would you do this now!"

"Because I refuse to let you die!"

Jack gasped as silence reigned down on them both. They must have made a sight, the pair of them standing against the backdrop of the upper lake. Pitch, chest heaving from rage looming above Jack who was posed like a fainting maiden. One day Jack would laugh about how ridiculous they looked and tease Pitch for being dramatic, but that was not this day. Because today Jack had to keep Pitch from doing something stupid.

Jack lunged forward, scrambling across the rocks to cling to Pitch's hand. "Please don't do this," Jack whispered, wrapping Pitch's arms around his shoulders and hiding his face against the shade's shoulder, "Don't do something stupid, please don't play into his hands over me. I'm not worth it Pitch!"

"Yes you are," Pitch murmured back, tucking Jack even closer to his body, "You're worth everything Jack, and I would do anything to keep you alive and well. Including finally defeating Faust." Jack couldn't help but let out a hopeless sob when Pitch pressed a gentle kiss to the crown of his head. "I refuse to lose you," Pitch murmured, "I had to watch you die once, and I refuse to do so again."

He couldn't help himself after the confession. Silent tears come streaming down Jack's cheeks as he buried his face into Pitch's robes, clinging with all his might to the shade. Jack knew he wasn't worth it, wasn't worth the effort Pitch would spend trying to save Jack from an already decided fate. One day Jack would truly die, and it looked like that day was coming soon. There was no reason for Pitch to try and delay that.

"I don't want you to go through with this," Jack sobbed brokenly uncaring of how his voice cracked and broke. "I don't want you to keep chasing revenge, or some way to fix me."

"Then what do you want?" Pitch whispered, desperation of his own ringing through his voice as he held Jack close. "Everything I've done these last three hundred years has to make you happy. So please Jack, tell me what will make you happy again."

Jack pulled back and managed to summon up a watery smile. "I want you to live."

~*~

Something was shaking Katherine back to consciousness. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes even as she sat up in bed. Katherine expected it to be Jack coming to check on her or wake her for breakfast but it wasn't. Something else had woken her up.

Wide yellow eyes stared back at Katherine from a grey face. Images of Fearling children and Nightmare King's ran through Katherine's mind as she shot up and scooted as far back as she could. A terrified shriek left her as the strange creature scooted closer on the bed. A grey hand lashed out and covered her mouth before Katherine could scream for help. Oh Moon, the Fearling was going to kill her!

"Quiet book child, you need to listen," the creature hissed in the early morning air, "You're in danger." The creature looked like a little girl. A small child, barely seven years old with yellow eyes and grey skin, long black tangled hair pooling around her.

Katherine shuddered in disgust at the sight. "You're a Fearling princess," she whispered in horror. "Pitch...Pitch succeeded." All those years of fighting against Pitch, and they had failed. The Guardian's had failed to stop Pitch's horrible plan.

The princess frowned. "Not a princess," she hissed, "Just a Fearling."

"Fearlings don't look like people," Katherine protested.

The Fearling scowled. "And Guardian's don't need help from random strangers in the woods," the Fearling snapped, "But you need help badly. But you don't even know what you need help with!" The Fearling girl grinned showing off sharp pointed teeth even as she crawled off the bed to loom over Katherine.

Katherine slid out of bed quickly, scrambling to face the Fearling on even ground. "I know what I need help with," Katherine snapped, "I need to find a way to stop Pitch!"

The Fearling cackled at her. "Silly girl, even more lost than you know," she whispered, "Pitch isn't the enemy, not this time. This enemy is much much worse and he is coming for you. Dreams and wonder and hope can't stop him...not this one."

Katherine glared defiantly at her. "Then what will?"

"The Book that Turns Shadows to Light," the Fearling whispered with one last cackle before disappearing into the shadows and leaving Katherine standing alone in the bedroom.

She wasn't sure how long she sat there. Too terrified to sleep, afraid that the shadows would reach out and grab her before taking her away. It was far easier to just curl up into a ball and pretend she hadn't seen any Fearlings in the cottage and that she was safe.

It was long enough that Katherine could see the sun lightening the darkness beyond her view. The leaves turned from tarnished black to a bright green before her very eyes. It was rather beautiful to watch, made even more so by the birdsong in the air.

But there seemed to be a trick to the light. It looked almost like something made out of flame was approaching the cottage. It glowed brighter than the sun and drew Katherine to her feet in a second. She couldn't keep herself from stumbling to the window and watching the figure come striding across the path towards the cottage.

The spirit, because something like that could only be magic, was beautiful. Her golden hair glowed as it cascaded down her shoulder in a braid, highlighting blazing green eyes. Her skin was the color of warm summer days, spotted with freckles like fresh spring flowers through wild grass. Katherine couldn't keep herself from feeling safe, from feeling loved, as the beautiful spirit came floating to the cottage door and swept inside.

The spirit made the room glow with gold when she walked inside. Every corner lit up in an array of colors when the spirit smiled.

"Well hello there dear," the spirit breathed out, "Who are you?"

"K-Katherine."

"Katherine. A beautiful name," the glow faded and let Katherine fully see the woman for the first time. Without the otherworldly light, she looked normal enough. A simple green tank top and jeans completed her look while swirling red and gold tattoos covered her shoulder. "Hello Katherine," her smile was still blinding, "I'm Brigid. Would you like some tea?"

Katherine could only blink stupidly as she was dumped into a chair by Brigid before the spirit went about brewing the perfect cup of tea. She jumped slightly when Labraid jumped down from the rafters and landed on the table. The cat watched her with glowing eyes and Katherine hated the small part of herself that was afraid that the cat was the Fearling from last night. It had to be because of the unnerving golden eyes, there was no other reason for it.

"How do you take your tea dear?" Brigid called back, her voice with a bright musical lilt.

"Why do people keep making me tea?" Katherine asked suddenly. "First Jack and now you. What's so special about tea?"

"Well, the Irish believe that tea can fix any problem," Brigid announced quite happily setting the tea set on the table and pushing the cup towards Katherine, "It's part of Jack's work. The lost find their way here and Jack serves them some wonderful tea and figures out how to help them. It's part of what we do you see, we help those who need us."

Katherine smiled weakly as she took the mug of tea into her hands. A happy sigh left her when she took a sip of the warm liquid, calming as it settled in her stomach. "Why do you help people?" Katherine asked softly, "You and Jack...why do this?"

Brigid shrugged, a simple gesture that looked incredibly beautiful on her. "Not sure why I do it anymore. People believe I can help so I do," Brigid admitted, petting Labraid when the cat climbed into her lap. "Part of it is a calling you see, we need to help people. Jack has to help the Lost and I Defend. There's something deep inside of us that draws us to those who need us, those who cry out in the night for our help."

Katherine's good mood disappeared at the serious turn the conversation had taken. "What happens if you don't help?" She asked softly, setting her tea on the table. The whole situation was getting messier and messier, and Katherine didn't know how to deal with it. Where did Jack actually fit in? And why was she here.

"What do you mean don't help?" Brigid smiled coyly at her, "What happens if the Easter Bunny doesn't deliver Easter? Or the Tooth Fairy stops collecting teeth? Imagine that my dear, but ten times worse and you'll know what happens to us. Besides, it's a little different for Jack. He actually enjoys spending time with the people who need his help."

Katherine frowned, "I didn't realize that was so special."

"Of course it is, no one wants to be helpful all of the time. Some days they want a little time to themselves, or to be selfish," Brigid admitted taking a sip of her tea, "But not Jack. He's always so excited to meet someone new, someone who came wandering to him in need of help."

"Why?"

"Because dear one, Jack's been trapped here for about three hundred years," Brigid's smile held a secret in it, "All thanks to your Nightmare King. How's that for coincidence?"

~*~

June 3, 1670

Jack twitched as he felt eyes boring into his back from outside the protective flow of the fire. It made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end, the just knowing that someone was watching him constantly. Or something was closer. The others in the camp had gotten used to Jack's constant stalker and even started teasing him about it. At first they had been nervous about being stalked by the dark spirit, but after all this time they had forgotten to be afraid.

"Your shade is back," Coleen, the fiddler of the camp, announced. She was happily seated next to Jack and quite content to pet Cat. A wide grin crossed her freckled face, "He's been lurking behind your caravan for the last two hours."

"Well good for him. I'm not going to deal with it," Jack grumbled darkly. He didn't understand why Pitch Black was so obsessed with him. Jack had believed the spirit would just forget Jack's existence the day after their meeting. But instead the dark spirit continued to show up and haunt Jack's steps with his eerie golden eyes. It was disturbing. "Maybe if I ignore him, he'll leave?"

"Because that's worked so well before," Coleen muttered, "Is it really so bad to talk to him? We could use a spirit on our side! Maybe he can walk through walls and get us into Timmy O'Neills whiskey stash?"

Jack turned and fixed her with an exasperated look. "You want me to sell my soul so a spirit can steal you booze?"

"Well, yeah. What else would we sell it for?" Coleen teased before rising from the fire. Cat let out an annoyed yowl as he was placed on the ground before Coleen disappeared into the camp.

The shadows didn't come any closer now that Jack was alone except for Cat. It was rather strange to Jack, seeing something that was obviously otherworldly just watching him. No more attempts to talk, no threats. None of the behavior matched up with the behavior that Jack had heard about the fae. They were typically portrayed as being quick tempered and short sighted, so to see one who was blue to plan was disturbing and frightening.

Jack was sick and tired of being scared. He was scared of what would have happened if he stayed in his old village, he was scared of the British soldiers finding the camp, and he was scared of the shade. Tonight Jack planned on conquering one of those fears.

"I know you're there," Jack called out softly to the darkness, "You're not as sneaky as you think. Cat and I have always figured out when you're stalking us. So why don't you come over into the light and I'll fix you a cup of tea?"

The shadows swirled into the form of a frowning man. Pitch Black was his name is Jack remembered right, looked just as severe as ever. All sharp lines and hard angles wrapped in shadows and fear that glided across the ground like mist over the bogs. It made Jacl very aware of how awkward he looked hunched over in his seat with Cat curled against his side.

How pathetically mortal Jack must appear right now.

"Why tea?" Black's sudden question cut through the silent night air that had hung between them like a physical barrier. Jack blinked slowly before focusing on the spirit again. "What?" Jack asked at the same moment Black demanded, "Why would you offer tea to a spirit you just met?"

"I don't know, because tea seems to make most problems seem solvable?" Jack shrugged.

One of Black's non-existent eyebrows rose. "And why would you assume I have a problem," he sneered.

"Because you're stalking a nineteen year old Irish boy because he has a weird cat?" Jack pointed out dryly, a smiling crossing his face against his will. "I'm guessing normal spirits don't do that."

"No, we typically don't." Yeah, cause that wasn't cryptic at all. Jack just frowned into the fire as they sat in silence. It was the stretching type of silence that left you feeling uncomfortable and unable to look the other person in the eyes. For Jack, it led him to pet Cat absently as he struggled not to just gape at the supernatural spirit sitting besides him. Some days Jack had no idea what his life was coming to.

"But...why me?" Jack asked softly, "Surely there's someone more impressive to haunt? I'm just a regular guy, there's nothing special about me."

"Maybe so, maybe not," Jack froze when he met Black's burning golden gaze. The shade was staring directly at Jack with frightening intensity. A normal person would turn away but Jack found himself captivated. It seemed almost like there were entire worlds held in Black's eyes. Who knew what wonders of the universe could be found in those golden eyes.

"This right here, this is why I follow you," Black murmured, lunging forward and wrapping a clawed hand around Jack's forearm. "You're not afraid of me, for some reason you look at me with only curiosity and no fear. You offered me tea, yelled at me for threatening what you think is your cat....no one has ever done that before. You are something special Jack of the Overland Clan."

A soft gasp left Jack's throat at Black's admission. He couldn't keep himself from falling forward into the shade's hold, brown eyes full of bright wonder to be regarded well by such a powerful being. "How do I know you're friendly?" Jack whispered, "Why should I trust one of the fae?"

"Because I can show you wonders you've never dreamed of," Black murmured into Jack's ear, "Sights that will leave you breathless and full of awe. Things that you have never imagined and places beyond your wildest dreams."

"What's the catch?" Jack breathed out.

Black's smiled was strained. "You let me stick around, and see what about you drew in my shadows," Black said simply.

Jack pondered it for a brief second. But in his heart he knew what he would choose. Domestic life here had slowly been chafing at him. Jack missed the thrill of the traveling, the sting of the wind on his cheeks from the ship. The unpredictability of facing the world with only Cat by his side, and Black was offering it to him once more. "One condition," Jack ordered, brown eyes narrowing, "I need to return here by morning. I have duties that need tending and can't miss them."

"Very well, you have yourself a deal," Black's clawed hand swallowed Jack's as they quickly shook on it. Jack had to struggle not to react when Black didn't let go of his hand. But even Jack couldn't stop his flinch when Black sent him a toothy smile. "Why don't we start now then?" Black drawled before giving Jack's hand a sharp yank.

Jack screamed as he was pulled into the shadows. He couldn't keep himself from wrapping his arms around the solid form in front of him and clinging tightly. There was nothing to see in the darkness, it was like the blackness of space had been compressed into a single moment without any stars to brighten it. Even worse was the feeling of vertigo that came with it that made Jack's stomach roll. All in all, it was the second most uncomfortable thing Jack had ever felt right after falling through a frozen pond.

And then it was over in the next instance. A relieved gasp left Jack at that as he pressed his face even closer to the solid thing that had held him steady. Then a pair of strong arms wrapped around Jack's shoulders, causing the youth to stiffen. A furious blush spread across Jack's cheeks as he looked up and met Black's amused stare. "I wasn't aware you wanted to be so close already," the shade drawled like the prick he truly was.

Jack scowled and shoved away, glaring defiantly at Black. "Yeah well, then you should have warned me what we'd be facing," Jack grumbled back, "Now where are we?"

Black's smile was sharp as he regarded Jack in the growing darkness. Darkness was creeping across the land and Jack had to guess it was due to a sunset. But that had Jack wondering how far a distance they had traveled that what had once been night was now sunrise.

"Welcome Jack Overland," Pitch pointed towards the horizon, "To the Bagan Temples."

Jack couldn't keep himself from gasping in delight if his life had depended on it. Black had placed them on a rocky outcropping that overlooked the temples. The first rays of sunlight were breaking over the trees, turning the sky a bright golden color. The temples littered the skyline, so many Jack couldn't even begin counting them, and each of them also glowed in the light of dawn. It was amazing, and so beautiful Jack couldn't find the words to describe it.

"Well? What do you think?" Black murmured into Jack's ear, sounding rather smug.

Jack didn't even struggle to hide his blinding grin. "I think it's a good start Mr. Nightmare King, wonder how you'll top this next time."

~*~

April 6, 2012

"Why don't you come with me to the forest?" Jack asked suddenly at breakfast, surprising Katherine into dropping her toast.

"I...sure," she managed to stammer out, flushing in embarrassment. Katherine had been feeling out of sorts since Brigid had left sometime early yesterday afternoon. The strange golden woman had left the girl with far too many questions and not enough answers. Not to mention the strange Fearling had visited once again in the night hissing about a book before disappearing with the sun. The whole situation left Katherine feeling nervous and a little afraid of the forests shadows.

Jack though seemed aware of what had made her so nervous. He had watched with hooded eyes as Katherine jumped back from shadows and flinched at the movements of birds past the windows. Jack's knowing gaze was an almost intimate thing as he studied Katherine in the early morning light.

It was good and all to be afraid of the dark, that Jack could understand. But he could never stand by when people stopped living their lives because they were terrified of shadows. Which is why Jack was going to take her into the woods to face her fear. However, Jack was nice enough to wait until after breakfast.

For a little while Katherine could pretend Jack had forgotten about the outdoors. Her hope was dashed when he pulled on his frayed green coat and grabbed his staff before leading her outdoors. "Come on then," Jack called back with a bright smile, "This will be fun! Trust me."

Katherine gazed longingly at the cottage before following Jack into the forest itself. Her boots thunked along the ground as Jack led her deeper into the forest. The path smelled like loam and soft earth, freckled with moss and ferns. Massive trees rose above them casting dappled light across Katherine and making Jack glow. For a second, he seemed to be glowing like Brigid had yesterday with some inner magical light. But then Jack darted forward to the shadows and it was gone.

"This is my favorite trail," Jack told Katherine happily as he led her deeper into the woods, "It goes away from the tourists so it's much more peaceful. I like coming out here to think and get closer to nature. Beautiful right?"

And it really was. It held an ancient power that hummed through the trees. Katherine could feel the history pressing down on them in the form of sweet smelling grass and falling emerald leaves. Even shadows seemed kinder here, less prone to house Fearlings or the other monsters that hide in darkness. It was almost like Jack could keep the darkness at bay, but that was impossible. Only Nightlight and Manny could do that.

Nightlight...Katherine couldn't help but wonder if he was alright. The Faust creature that was controlling Pitch seemed even scarier than the Nightmare King, something Katherine had never believed possible until now. Added to that she was stuck here with Jack, who was nice enough, but it meant she couldn't help! Katherine didn't know what to do anymore.

Except she did. The Fearling had told her what to do, had told her to find the book. So the question was could Katherine trust the Fearling to save her friends? For that matter, could she trust Jack to help her?

"Here we are!" Jack's cheerful voice cut through the air as he led Katherine into a shaded clearing, "The perfect place to work." Jack moved carefully through the grass, eyes trained on the emerald blades before he knelt down carefully. A blinding smile crossed a pale face before he waved Katherine over to join him.

She moved slowly across the grass and knelt down next to Jack. A bird sang in the trees next to them, his bright music drifting sweetly through the air. A river was singing happily somewhere in the distance. A small smile spread across Katherine's mouth as she shut her eyes in the cool morning air. Peace fell over her, such a rare emotion with her strange friends around all the time.

"Grow mo chairde. Ní mór duit dul i gcás nach féidir liom," Jack's voice rang with an ancient magic as he whispered. Katherine could practically feel the words pressing against the back of her eyes, reshaping the world before them due to Jack's words, "Freastal ar an dílis agus a thabhairt ar a neart. Déan dom léi nuair a ngluaiseann sí ar aghaidh." Jack hummed softly, “I just said ‘Grow my friends. You must go where I cannot. Serve the faithful and bring her strength. Carry me with her when she travels onwards.’ Pretty right? I’ve always loved the Irish language.”

Katherine opened her eyes as a cold gust of air blew past her. A delighted gasp left her as she watched frost spread out from Jack's hands to cover the ground before them. The frost held its swirling ferned patterns in the air for a brief second before collapsing to the ground in a miniature rain of ice and light. Each place where the frost touched the ground tiny white flowers came bursting up, sparkling like freshly fallen snow.

The frost also curled up the trees around them before exploding into an array of flowering vines colored with tiny yellow flowers. The smell of crisp snow and delicate blossoms spread across the clearing. Katherine's awe filled eyes turned to Jack, meeting his wicked grin.

"I know. Pretty amazing right?" Jack teased her good naturedly, "Just a part of my skill set." He reached out and pulled a few strings of the yellow flowers off the tree closest to them and began weaving them together. "Did you know flowers have meanings?"

"I...yes I did," Katherine said slowly, "A good friend taught me their meanings." More like Aster had forced everyone to listen to the lesson after North said flowers were pointless. Katherine was still amazed that flowers had so many meanings!

"Some flowers are even associated with people due to the meanings," Jack explained softly. His fingers were turning a pale yellow from the petals of the flowers, "The crocus is associated with openness and joy, so many people in Ireland link it to Brigid. These flowers here are mine. Winter Jasmine represents the season when I first came to Glendalough." The vines were weaved into a basic three point knot, beautiful in its simplicity. "The white flowers are snowdrops and they represent the hope I give to the Lost who come to me."

A sad smile crossed Jack's face before he pressed the tiny white flowers into the knot, turning it a beautiful combination of white and gold into Katherine's hands. "I want you to take this," Jack said softly, "And when you really, truly need me to show the way, hold it to your heart and think of me. Understand?"

Katherine nodded slowly and tucked the knot into a pocket in her skirts. "Thank you Jack," she said softly, "I don't know what I can do to repay this."

Jack simply shrugged. "Just find your way and you'll be fine," he admitted with a small smile, "Once you know where you are, you'll never be lost again." Jack placed his hands in his lap and stared at Katherine with ancient eyes. "So tell me, why are you lost now? No, don't lie and say you're not lost. I know you are. That's why you're here. So tell me."

It was like something was pressing against her mind,mooring the words to flow. Katherine could not stop herself from telling Jack everything. "My friends and I guard the children of the world from the Nightmare King. He was quiet these last couple of years, but attacked all of a sudden. We were losing believers and children gave into fear. Pitch...he abducted me and told me to come here and find the book that would turn Darkness to Light."

Jack let out a pained groan and buried his face in his hands. "Oh Pitch, you idiot," Jack grumbled. He let out a pained sigh before fixing Katherine with an unnerving stare. "The book Pitch mentioned is the Book of Kells and it won't help you."

Katherine couldn't keep her expression from falling. She didn't know why she was surprised that Pitch had lied to her. He had lied to her often enough before. "So he lied."

"No, he just doesn't understand. The Book of Kells was crafted to bring Hope back to a war torn land, and that is just what it did," Jack explained gently. "It finished its purpose, and once that was done lost the magic that vanquished the darkness. But that doesn't mean you should give up. You just need a new book with the same magic."

Katherine leaned forward, reaching out to grasp Jack's wrist. "Where would I find such a book?"

"You already have most of it. The Book of Guardians that you made holds most of the magic. You just need the last page to contain the spell," Jack smiled secretly, "And I know where to get the artifact that will get you the spell you need."

~*~

June 3, 1671

They'd made camp in the forest surrounding Glendalough. The monks who lived there had given the weary Tinkers a place to rest and a promise to hide them from the soldiers. Exhausted and weary, they had agrees and disappeared into the woods.

Jack was just thankful that he could actually sleep for once. His Fearling cat, or whatever Pitch said it was, was curled up by his side sleeping quite happily. Jack knew it disturbed Pitch that a Fearling could sleep and dream, but Jack just thought it was typical cat behavior. Always doing the unexpected.

Most nights Pitch came and took Jack away to a new and exciting adventure. He had seen worlds that he could never dream of, touched kingdoms the people in his camp would never imagine. Sun rises that turned the sky violet, and saves that glowed like the night sky but deep underground. Magic the likes of which Jack would never of dreamed, filling him with wonder and joy every time Pitch appeared.

Of course, the wonder Jack felt for their travels was slowly turning over to be wonder at Pitch. The shade was handsome, in a weird shadowy way. He was kid to Jack, and recently had begun joint the clan for their evening meals sharing stories of a Great Golden Age while listening to the elders speak of the Book that Brings Light to the Darkness. Pitch had gone from the "Dark Spirit" to "Jack's Shade," spoken with amusement and joy when Pitch appeared.

Some days it felt like the clan was judging Pitch. Judging Pitch to see if he fit into the clan beside Jack, the same way they judged outsiders who wanted to marry into the clan. Jack hadn't said anything, but it warmed him inside to think of spending his mortal life besides Pitch.

A commotion outside roused Jack from his thoughts. Rising onto bare feet, he padded out doors to see the whole camp in an uproar. Lights were, lit as the people rushed around calling out names into the darkness. Fear hung over the camp, a physical blanket dampening everything.

"Jack!" Coleen came rushing up to him, "Jack, the children are missing!"

"What?" That...that was impossible. Nothing could take the children from them, the children were a great blessing. They guarded the little ones fiercely, their clothes embroidered with charms to ward off fairies and truly malicious spirits. "Why would they leave camp?"

"We don't know, but the elders think something lured them into the forest," Coleen explained.

"Then I'll go. Cat and I will find the children," Jack quickly pulled on his cloak as Cat came rushing to his side. "If we're not back by the witching hour, assume whatever took the children took me as well." With that they went racing into the forest together.

Jack had never been afraid of the dark. After the terror of the ice and nothingness of the forest, Jack had never found the dark to be as scary. Even with the tree branches blocking out the moon and casting reaching shadows didn't alarm Jack. The hum of animals was nothing, the shrieks of night birds just a background sound as Jack dashed through the undergrowth.

Cat raced besides Jack, transforming from a tiny house cat to a black and red wolf that raced through the darkness. Not even the shadows could touch Cat as he led the way into the forest, searching for the children by hunting for their fear.

**_Tar leanaí beag , beidh mé in ann tú ar shiúl..._ **

The voice cut through the darkness, a slithering hissing thing that pressed against Jack's temples and made his ears bleed. It dragged Jack onwards into the woods, far deeper than he ever would have gone before. Past the bubbling brook and beyond the carved trees, into the very heart of the forest.

**_Isteach i saol na enchantment . Tar leanaí beag beidh mé in ann tú a imirt..._ **

Jack went stumbling into a clearing, gasping as the magic drew him forward. He couldn't hear Cat anymore. Didn't hear Cat let out a chilling howl, unable to cross into the shadowy clearing for some reason. Didn't see Cat disappearing into the shadows leaving Jack alone.

His eyes were caught on the massive stone sculpture. It was carved beautifully, all swirling lines and knots. Jack could hear the voice whispering from there, drawing him deeper and deeper inside....he had to follow the voice...

A hand raised to brush against the stone, Jack's eyes glazed over unaware of the shadows reaching out to drag him into the cave. The creature within had Jack within its spell.

Or it did until a blast of bright light cut through the darkness. The shadows screamed in pain, rushing back into the cave to cower away from the light. Jack had to cover his eyes to keep from being burned by the shining light.

Turning, Jack met the being who had saved him. A shining woman of gold was seated on a pure white steed. Wearing ancient Celtic battle armor, painted for war, the shining woman smiled down at Jack as she dismounted from the war horse.

"You're in dangerous territory little one," she called happily, holding a hand out for Jack to take, "What brings you here?"

"I was looking for some children," Jack admitted shyly, "They had gone missing."

Her smile turned even more gentle. "I sent them back to their camp youngling, but I appreciate your bravery," she teased, "Few would dare move against Crom Cruach in order to save children. What is your name, little warrior?"

"Jack. May I ask who you are?"

"Brigid," a voice of darkness cut through the night. The shadows roiled, boiling as Pitch appeared from them flanked by the Fearlings. Jack could tell Cat out from the mess, his dear friend’s eyes more aware than the other shadowy eyes that glowed behind Pitch. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to save the little warrior from the darkness Nightmare King,” the woman, Brigid, said coolly. She glared at him, hand on the pommel on her sword, moving between Jack and Pitch. “Should I be concerned that you’ve come for him Black?”

Jack glared at her. He wasn't sure what offended him more, that the two were arguing near the scary dark cave, or that Pitch would hurt Jack. Luckily, Pitch seemed just as offended as Jack by Brigid’s statement.

“I’ve come to return Jack back to his clan,” Pitch hissed, holding a grey hand out for Jack to take. “You have nothing to worry about Saint.” Jack darted around her and rushed towards Pitch. He couldn't keep himself from tucking into the shadows that made up Pitch’s cloak, hiding away from the shining light of Brigid. It felt more comfortable to be covered by Pitch’s shadows, to have Cat pressing against Jack’s back than to shine under Brigid’s light.

“Then I leave him in your care,” he heard Brigid return to her horse, the stomping of hooves against the forest floor. “There are others who have need of me tonight. The English bastards still haunt these shores,” and with that Jack could hear her horse thundering off into the forest, leaving the forest far behind her.

Jack let out a relieved breath, tucking his face into Pitch’s arm. He relaxed against the shade, too drained to be affected by the fear that cloaked the arm like he usually would be. It was so strange to feel so safe in the arms of a creature that a year ago Jack feared…

“What were you thinking!?”

Jack let out a pained cry as Pitch wrenched him from his side. Desperately, Jack clung to Pitch’s wrists as the shade’s golden eyes bored into him smoldering with an inner fire. Jack’s teeth clacked together when Pitch shook him. “Why would you go near here? I thought you had more sense than that!” Pitch snarled, clawed hands drawing tiny drops of blood from Jack’s wrists where the nails cut into delicate flesh, “Are you so desperate to die that you would throw yourself into the very arms of death itself!”

“Pitch, stop,” Jack gasped out, “You’re hurting me!”

“I could have lost you! You could have died and I wouldn’t have been there to save you!” Finally Jack could recognize the emotion in Pitch’s eyes. The Nightmare King was terrified, scared for the very first time Jack had ever seen him. “You would have been dead,” Pitch whispered brokenly, “And I wouldn’t have been able to do anything…”

Jack didn’t even think. He simply lunged forward, rising on his toes to press a desperate kiss to Pitch’s mouth. For a long minute, Jack feared that he had done something wrong. But that all faded away when Pitch pulled him close and kissed Jack back, holding the mortal boy against him.

High above them, the Moon watched silently as the pair fell together for the first time in the forest.

~*~

April 6, 2012

The forest was silent around the clearing. None of the birds were singing, no animals scurried throughout the trees. A heavy hush had fallen on them the second they walked into the clearing, everything freezing in fear.

Katherine’s eyes were drawn to the massive cave that lay before her. Carvings lined the walkway to it, the shapes so worn down by the years that only vague figures could be seen. But the most notable thing was the massive statue that blocked the cave’s entrance. “What happened here?” She asked nervously, keeping close to Jack.

“A storm knocked over the statue years ago. Or at least, that’s what Brigid told me,” Jack murmured, his voice swallowed by the heavy silence, “Now Katherine, I want you to listen to me. You’re going to have to go in there by yourself.”

Katherine froze, unable to take another step into the clearing. “I can’t,” she whispered, “I don’t know what to do.”

Jack turned and smiled gently at her. “You will. I believe in you,” Jack murmured, holding a hand out to her, “Have faith Katherine. Everything will be alright soon enough.”

Faith. The ideal Jack held so dearly. Faith in himself, in Pitch, in Brigid. And now in her. Jack, who had been trapped here in this valley for years, believed that she could do this. If Jack believed she could do this, if he had such faith in her, then Katherine could have faith in herself.

“How do I get inside?” She asked Jack, resignation settling into her bones. She WOULD do this. She would not fail.

Jack’s smile turned sharp. “I will handle that.” He floated over the ground, snowdrops blooming in his wake. Frost crept over the statues, sparkling in the shadowy light. Anticipation seemed to thrum in the air like a song about to start, growing as Jack knelt before the great statue.

Katherine had seen many great things in the world. Magic that no one would ever imagine. Wonders that lit up the sky, and beauty beyond words. But watching Jack pull on the great rock? And seeing him begin to lift it inch by inch from the ground stole her breath away.

_I believe in St. Frost. I believe he’ll bring me home…_

With a pained scream, Jack managed to lift the massive statue from the the ground. It rested on his shoulders, legs trembling as he struggled to hold it up. “Go,” Jack gasped out, pain obvious in his voice, “I don’t know how long I can hold it…”

Katherine didn't need to be told twice. Gathering her skirts into her hands, she rushed forward past Jack into the cave. She paused when her foot touched the shadows, a thrill of fear scraping down her back. In need of comfort, Katherine turned back to Jack for comfort.

She would regret it for years. Katherine screamed as she watched creeping tendrils of shadow crawl up Jack’s body. They burrowed into his body, tiny drops of blood falling to the ground as Jack’s arms began to tremble. He raised his head, meeting Katherine’s eyes as the tendril began digging into the delicate flesh of his eyes.

“Go,” Jack whispered just as his arms gave out. With a mighty crash the sculpture fell on him, dust billowing into the air.

When the dust settled, Katherine was left alone in the darkness once again. But this time, there was no saint waiting at the end to show her the way.

~*~

August 9, 1671

There was no moon in the sky as Jack strolled past the pond. Pale water lilies shone with stars, reflections glittering across the water to form delicate shapes of cosmic proportions. Behind him, the massive temple of Angkor Wat stood firm against the forest,

It had been delightful to wander through the rooms as twilight fell. The coiling trees wrapping around the carvings of elephants and ancient Kings had been delightful. Jack had laughed as he ran his hands down the pictures before he was swept to another room by the impatient king.

Since the meeting with Brigid, Pitch had become even more possessive of the boy. Jack had been pulled on more adventures than he knew what to deal with. And on nights when he was too tired to travel, Pitch would sit by his bedside and watch over Jack’s dreams.

It was sweet in a strangely creepy way. Just like the handful of chaste kisses they had shared always brought a smile to Jack’s face when he thought back on them. It felt wonderful to be so cherished by Pitch. To be held like he was fragile, coddled when they traveled together, and the vast amounts of gifts continued to press into Jack’s palms at the end of the night before pretending he hadn’t given Jack anything.

It was like being courted by a cat, Jack mused fondly as the shadows drew around him.

“Jack,” Pitch murmured, wrapping his arms around a thin waist, “How have you found this place?”

A bright smile crossed Jack’s face as he leaned back into the shadows. “It’s so beautiful,” Jack murmured tilting his head back to press a quick kiss to Pitch’s jaw, “You always find the most amazing places to take me.”

“I do try,” and Jack should not have been so fond of he smug tone of voice in Pitch’s voice.

November 13, 1671

The night air was cool. The smell of exotic flowers perfumed the air, bringing to mind lazy afternoons and moonlit nights. Thin wisps of clouds clung to the Tianzi Mountains, curling around the oriental trees in delicate swirls. Night birds sang through the mountain side, a sweet symphony that echoed through the rocks in enchanting notes. But the highlight of the night floated high above the rocks.

“Don’t drop me!”

It was a comical sight in its absurdity. The tall imposing figure of the Nightmare King stood on one of the fragile clouds, arms wrapped around a squirming figure. Jack Overland clung to the shade with mad desperation. His head pressed against Pitch’s neck, thin arms locked around broad shoulders as he hid away from the drop.

Pitch though seemed more amused than annoyed by Jack’s clinging. “I swear I will not drop you,” he drawled out, voice fond as he held Jack close. “Now will you stop being ridiculous and look down?”

A furious denial was Jack’s response. It promoted a brief struggle between the pair as Pitch tried to force Jack to look without dropping the boy. And Jack of course clung tight and refused to be moved with a defeated whine. The tangle of limbs high above the ground was unnoticed by the people below, their argument passed off as being the wind.

Eventually they came to an arrangement they agreed upon. In later centuries the hold would become known as bridal style, but for now it was the only way Jack felt secure enough to actually look down. He felt better with Pitch holding him close, comforted by being cradled in those strong arms. Pitch seemed quite content to cradle Jack close, smug as he held the mortal above the clouds.

“It’s beautiful,” Jack whispered as a wisp of cloud brushed his cheek.

He was unaware of Pitch watching him instead of looking at the powerful mountains they were nestled between. “Yes, it is very beautiful,” Pitch murmured softly clutching Jack even closer. Peace fell over the pair as they relaxed together. Nothing could touch them up here. No war, or sickness, or fear. All pain and suffering was abandoned as they rested above the clouds together. It was the perfect night.

“Pitch!”

“What? My hands slipped.”

“They did not you dirty liar! Put me back on the ground!”

“Oh, very well.”

Well, it was perfect for a little while.

May 9, 1672

Deep inside of Croatia, two forms were intertwined on the bank of the one the Plitvice Lakes. The spray of the waterfall was cool relief on flushed skin. Hidden under the trees together, resting on a cloak of shadows they joined for the first time.

There is a certain magic in a physical union. A deep connection can be formed between the soul and the flesh in such moments. It is a deeply special connection that could be formed between two people at any point in time. But it was even more dangerous between a mortal and a spirit.

When the everlasting met with mortal, they could easily fall into each other. In a sense, a marriage would be formed between them as their most intimate parts of their very being were combined for the very first time. And here, safe in the falls, Jack and Pitch became one.

After their joining, they rested together. Jack curled up in Pitch’s lap with a content sigh as the shade draped his cloak of fear around Jack’s frail shoulders to keep the chill from the mortal. He loved how Pitch made him feel so small. It was relaxing to suddenly become fragile and cherished in the eyes of an ancient and powerful spirit like Pitch.

A long grey finger tilted Jack’s head back, turning brown eyes to the sky. “Look,” Pitch murmured softly, pressing a kiss to Jack’s hair as he snuggled into a powerful shoulder. A slow smile spread across Pitch’s face at Jack’s delighted gasp when streams of gold sand appeared above them.

He may not have always agreed with Sanderson, but Pitch did appreciate him when Jack’s face glowed in the golden light. It made the boy glow with an inner beauty that shone brightly in the light of the falls. What else could Pitch do then press Jack back down to the ground and claim him once more?

And for a brief time, they were truly happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to go with the semi-depressing ending. Nothing seems more bittersweet than realizing Jack died in the present while watching him fall in love with Pitch in the past. But don't worry guys, there will be an eventual happy ending. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think so far!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katherine faces the darkness, Pitch must deal with the issue of Faust, and Labraid has to come to terms with becoming a real person. 
> 
> The final act is here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone enjoys that last part of the story. Also, I've added a link to the cover art for this story below:
> 
> http://illiyanazio.deviantart.com/art/The-Secret-of-Jack-Frost-586387926

April 6, 2012

Katherine stumbled through the dark hallway of the temple, hand pressed against the wall to find her way. There was a heavy chill in the air that cut through the thick material of her dress leaving a creeping chill that settled in her bones. No light shone in the caverns, leaving her to grope her way across the stone.

She didn’t know what she was supposed to find in here, or how it was supposed to help her. All she had was Jack’s guarantee that she would succeed and even that was vague at best. A rock, hidden by the darkness, tripped her. The darkness swallowed Katherine’s yell as she tumbled to her knees.

The knot Jack had made her dropped from her pocket to the floor. A gasp of delight left her at the sight of it. A soft blue light was emitted from the knot, bringing color and life back to the darkness. Trembling pale hands reached out to cradle the knot as Katherine stumbled back onto her feet. With the blue light in her hands, the shadows seemed less threatening.

The light caught something in the corner of her eye. Afraid it may be a Fearling, Katherine turned to face it only to come face to face with a massive painting. It seemed to show a young boy fighting against a giant serpent for some type of jewel. But it was hard to see it through all the beautiful details and colors that spread out from the jewel to make this picture. Frowning in confusion, Katherine moved forward to see it better. Maybe it had a clue on what she was supposed to do…

Of course that was when the darkness struck. Thick tendril of blackness wrapped around Katherine’s waist before yanking hard. She screamed in fear as the shadows pulled her through the painting and tossed her into a void of darkness that seemed to continue forever downwards.

But eventually she came to halt in the void. Floating in the darkness, Katherine trembled in fear as she waited to see what would happen. The only light there was the glow of the knot in her hands, the blue light spreading to form a comforting glow around her. She couldn’t keep herself from curling around it in desperation, terrified of the creeping darkness around her.

Something rustled in the darkness. Katherine turned nervously in the hopes of seeing whatever was coming at her but only inky darkness met her. However, it seemed like there was something moving in the darkness out there. Something massive, far larger than any creature Katherine had ever encountered before.

A giant snake appeared out of the gloom. It was glowing in the darkness, a sickly yellow light that spread like illness across the blackness. The comforting light of the knot was even more welcomed pressing against Katherine’s breath in the face of the shadowy monster that lunged for her.

Katherine’s shriek echoed in the nothingness even as she threw herself back. The snake missed her by mere inches even as she went floating through the darkness like a swimmer under water. But the most important thi became noticeable from the knot. It left a glowing blue line in the air, the felt solid when Katherine touched it. Well. That changed everything.

She pushed up off the ground, using the knot to leave a protective barrier between her the snake. It soon turned into a twisting dance. The snake would lunge, and Katherine would struggle to block it before it could sink fangs the size of her arms into her. The wild dance continued to weave through the darkness, leaving lines of shining blue behind her.

But the snake was intelligent and managed to dodge around the line once. Katherine screamed, attempting to jump over it but only managed to get a little ways up before the massive head slammed into her stomach. All the air left her lungs and she clung desperately to the massive skull even as it tried to shake her off.

Tiny hand more used to writing than fighting clung to something jagged and cold on its head. She clung tightly to whatever it was, eyes locked on the knot as it went floating through the darkness. She could see the trail of blue that she would need to follow if she wanted any hope of saving herself from the monstrous snake.

A horrific cracking sound echoed through the darkness before Katherine was launched from the snake’s skull. Whatever she had been holding was still lodged in her hand, and it seemed that she was unable to uncurl her fingers from it. So now all Katherine could do was direct herself towards the knot in the hopes of saving herself.

It was sheer luck that let her wrap her fingers around the knot before the snake reached her. Determination shone in Katherine’s eyes as she lunged forward ready to fight for her life. The streak of blue glowed even brighter than before, small ferns of frost curling out from it like another barrier between her and certain death. A massive cage of blue light appeared, the frost spreading across it to keep the serpent trapped inside. For a brief moment Katherine feared her cage would not hold the monster inside.

But it seemed no matter how hard it struggled, it couldn’t escape. A smug smile crossed her face, joy lighting up her veins like lightning. Jack’s knot seemed to recognize this and began to flow even bright. Soon, the blue drowned out the darkness and Katherine was surrounded by the blue light that comforted her after the dangerous dance with death. She was so focused on the knot that she didn’t notice the glowing gem in her other palm.

~*~

January 22, 1672

“Where are we this time?” Jack asked as Pitch led him from the shadows. Cat followed after them, glowing yellow eyes watching the empty streets around them with an uneasy air. The once-Fearling had become possessive of Jack recently much to Pitch’s vague annoyance. Jack simply found the whole thing to be adorable and had allowed Cat to accompany them tonight.

“The city of Prague,” Pitch murmured as he guided Jack through the old town. Above on the hill, the castle lights glittered down on them and sparkled against the river’s water like stars trapped on earth. The sound of people were damped by the heavy snow that covered the city like a blanket. “A city built on myth and magic. Beautiful, is it not?”

Jack couldn't help but smile as he took in the quaint buildings. Something heavenly was cooking from a restaurant or inn nearby, and it caused Jack’s mouth to water at the savory scent. “It is beautiful,” Jack breathed out, leaning heavily on Pitch’s arm. “But didn’t you say we would be visiting Madrid?”

“Seville,” Pitch corrected absentmindedly as he tugged Jack through the winding streets. “However I was contacted by one of the Fearlings. It informed me that there is an issue here that I need to deal with. Then we will travel to Sevilla.”

“Oh. I am assuming that you don’t want me to come with you to deal with it?”

“I fear it would be rather dangerous for you,” Pitch admitted softly, tugging Jack towards a building with towering spires that touched the sky. “I would rather you wait here while I deal with this rather than draw you into danger.”

“That’s fine. I can wait a little while,” Jack darted up to press a quick kiss to the corner of Pitch’s mouth with a coy smile. “Just promise not to leave me all alone here...wherever here is.”

“It’s a church Jack,” Pitch couldn’t keep from smiling back at the young man, “Now behave until I come back for you.”

Jack huffed as Pitch disappeared back into the shadows. “Looks like we’re on our own,” Jack mumbled, leaning down to sweep Cat up into his arms before darting into the church. A small smile crossed Jack’s face as the comforting warmth of the church washed over him.

It felt good to glide down the pews. The glitter of gold under the watchful eyes of saints and angels pressed onto Jack’s shoulders like the comforting hold of a dear friend. Jack settled down into one of the pews, breathing out in relief as he relaxed. The drone of the priest in Latin was the same here as it had been in the secret churches in Ireland. It felt good to realize that something’s remained the same no matter where you were in the world.

“Ah, excuse me young man, is anyone sitting here?”

Jack blinked in surprise to hear English coming from someone other than Pitch. Turning slowly, Jack came face to face with a smiling stranger. The man was older, his face lined with age. He wore a heavy coat that was several decades out of style but was still wonderfully well kept just like his hat which sat jauntily on salt and pepper hair. All in all, a simple and unassuming man.

“Ah, no. No one is sitting here,” Jack stumbled over the words, holding Cat even closer. There was something unnerving about this man. Something that made Jack want to run as far away as possible from this stranger but that would be rather rude to do in the middle of mass.

The stranger’s smile grew as he settled in. “Irish eh? Been a long time since I visited there. Tell me what brings a stranger from the Emerald Isle to Prague?”

“Pilgrimage. I am hoping to visit as many churches as possible.” It was an easy lie that Jack had practiced often enough when meeting the few people who spoke English when they traveled.

“And what better church to visit than Church of Mother of God before Týn? One of the most beautiful jewels of Prague,” the man reached out to pat Jack’s hand. “I am always honored to meet the faithful you see. They have an aura around them, a connection to the supernatural that have them last longer. This body is rotting from the inside out you see. A sinner’s body of course.”

Jack flinched and tried to shift away from the man. But before he could get far a powerful hand clamped onto Jack’s forearm and drew him back in. “But you, you are young and full of faith which connects you to the supernatural,” the man’s smile turned cruel, “Be sure to say hello to your God for me. Say Faust sent you.”

Searing pain spread up from Jack's side. He couldn’t help but gasp in shock, dropping Cat from the mind numbing pain spreading through him. Terror filled brown eyes dropped down to fund a knife buried in his side, even as Jack began to slump sideways. Distantly he could hear Cat screaming over the sound of blood pulsing in his ears as he collapsed to the ground in a heap.

Inside the church, people began to scream in terror as the young boy hit the ground with a sickening thud. Blood began to pool around his body, staining the marble red as sightless brown eyes stared towards the heavens and the saints painted on the ceiling.

No one noticed the red eyed black cat run to the shadows and disappear. They were all too focused on the corpse that was rapidly cooling before their very eyes. Just like no one, not even the cat, noticed the flickering shade captured and held secure within the moonlight streaming through the stained glass windows.

~*~

April 9, 2012

The sound of birds singing caught her attention. A soft groan left Katherine as she returned to consciousness, blinking into awareness as the sun warmed her. It streamed through a crack in the walls to return her to the world of the living.

A flicker of green caught her attention. Katherine turned her head to see it, and gasped in awe at what she saw. A beautiful Crystal Kay next to her hand, caught in the sunlight. From the rock a design of blue and green was reflected onto the wall from the heart of the crystal, creating a beautiful design that surpassed anything Katherine had ever seen before.

There was a magic within it. A magic she had only felt when Jack created the knot for her and when a rigid had first appeared. This is what Pitch had sent her to find. It would defeat Faust.

But how?

Jack had been the one who knew what to do. He had been the guiding force as Katherine stumbled blindly along her path. Getting slowly to her feet, Katherine cradled the beautiful jewel to her chest. She followed the twisting corridor to the outside, scared and more alone than ever. What was she supposed to do next. Where was she supposed to go now?

Walking into the light, Katherine stared up at the trees with wide eyes. She was aware of the menacing darkness of the cave behind her. And she was aware that Jack was not there besides her.

“Please,” Katherine whispered, voice echoing through the darkness, “I’m lost.”

But this time, no one answered. Jack was gone.

Afraid and crying, Katherine stumbled through the forest path. She held the crystal to her breast, face swollen by broken sobs. The ferns clung to the hem of her dress, the rocks tore the hem to shreds. She was weary, she was weak. Katherine just wanted to forget everything and have it all go back to the way it was supposed to years before. Back when the world made sense and the worst thing out there was Pitch Black.

Eventually Katherine managed to reach Jack’s cottage. She walked past the wilting flowers and dying hers. The inside of the house was shadowed, the walls sagging and the roof caving in. Even this was fading away on her, leaving Katherine alone in this cruel world to fight the darkness. Trembling, she set the crystal down on the table and stared at it.

“Tragic, isn’t it? Losing Jack like that,” Brigid’s voice came calling out from the entrance of the cottage. Katherine flinched at the sound of each thump of the saint’s boots against the ground and the scrape of the chair across the floor. The thump as Brigid collapsed into the chair across from her with a heavy sigh. “Well, it wouldn’t be the first time.”

Katherine raised her head, meeting Brigid’s red rimmed eyes. She offered Katherine a wry smile, reaching towards her feet to put something in the table. “So, what are you going to do now girlie?”

“I don’t know,” Katherine whimpered, eyes dropping back to the table top, “I don’t even know why I came here in the first place.”

“That’s the way of the world. Everyone wakes up each day and tries to struggle through, you know what that’s called? Life,” Brigid unwrapped the brown bag and revealed a bottle filled with a dark Amber liquid. “So, what are you going to do now?”

Katherine fingered the crystal. “Jack sacrificed his life for me to get this,” Katherine whispered, “Pitch said there was a magic book that could banish the darkness. So I have to assume that this can do that, but I don’t know how.”

“Well, lucky for you I do. See, when you look through this crystal your intent matters. The first person who used it wanted to bring light and hope to a war torn land. And he did,” Brigid said softly, taking a swig of the drink, “So, what do you want to do?”

“I want to save my friends. I want to save...to save Nightlight,” Katherine admitted softly.

A wry smile cross Brigid’s face. “Funny,” she said gently, “That’s just what Pitch wanted when he brought Jack to me all those years ago. But it all started when a boy went ice skating...”

~*~

January 22, 1672

Pitch looked up as Cat came streaking out of the shadows. He had just managed to get the golem back into its cage and imparted the warning to the rabbis who watched over it to keep a tighter leash on the creature. He had been planning on returning to Jack in a matter of seconds when Cat came hurtling toward his side.

Then something amazing happened. Cat twisted and changed, going from an animal to a grey skinned girl child with wild eyes full of terror. But that was impossible. Fearlings could not turn into people, it was simply unheard of. But Pitch did not have any time to marvel over Cat’s incredible change.

“Nightmare King,” Cat hissed out, voice rough and grating, “Something has happened to Jack.”

Terror spread through him, making Pitch freeze for a precious second. “Take me to him,” he ordered before following Cat into the shadows. They raced through back alleys and streets, jumped across buildings and darted around people to a church filled with people. The fear and terror from inside of the church was a physical thing, rolling off of the steeples like a thick cloud.

But Pitch cared nothing for that. He only cared for finding his Jack, and he searched the mass of people for those warm brown eyes and kind smile. Eventually Pitch found Jack. His heart hammered to a stop fros brief second as Pitch stared brokenly at the still figure, unable to belIeve it. Because Jack was lying there in a pool of his own blood. Dead.

“No,” Pitch whispered, stumbling forward, “No, nononono. Not my Jack...not him.” Distantly he could hear Cat crying out, broken sobs coming from the Fearling as it crumpled to the ground. Pitch swept through the humans, uncaring of the pain it caused himself so he could kneel next to Jack’s corpse. Jack. His wonderful, beautiful Jack was dead. And Pitch would never get him back.

The caress of a moonbeam pulled Pitch’s attention away from Jack’s body. With a furious snarl, Pitch faced the moon and froze once more. Because fluttering, delicate in the moonbeam, was a spirit. A fragile little thing that was flickering in the moonbeam, it's life hanging in the balance. But Pitch knew that spirit anywhere. He could always recognize his Jack. Even when Jack was a floating orb of blue light.

“Jack,” Pitch whispered, rising and approaching the moonbeam. Gently, the spirit was lowered into his hands and Pitch cradled it close to his chest, “Oh Jack, what happened?” Pitch had only been gone for a few minutes, half an hour at most. And now his beautiful Jack was a flickering orb of light resting against his heart that Pitch needed to protect. But how? How could he protect Jack like this? It would be far too easy for Jack’s spirit to gutter out and fade away.

Pitch refused to let that happen. He would save Jack from death and nothing would stop him. But there were few other spirits who would help him. Most would turn away from Pitch because he was made of darkness and they of light. Others may harm Jack in an attempt to get back at Pitch and he would not allow that to happen either. There was one spirit who came to mind who could help, but even that was a stretch. For she was not a fan of Pitch, but he had faith that she would save Jack.

So Pitch fled back to the shadows with Cat on his heels. The shadows pressed down on the little flicker of Jack’s soul, making the tiny flame flutter for a second as it struggled to stay alight. But soon enough Pitch threw himself from the shadows and emerged into a familiar clearing where he had first met Jack years before.

“Please,” Pitch called to the still Irish air, “I need your assistance.”

The wind picked up around them, growing into a wild howl. Pitch curled himself around Jack, shielding him from the wind as it grew into a massive storm. Clouds covered the moon and stars, heavy and fat with rain. The night birds stopped singing and the animals went running in fear as a massive war horse came stomping through the underbrush.

Brigid say upon the horse, the lightning turning her blue war paint into something terrifying. The thud of her boots against the ground resounded in the valley sending a murder of crows into the sky. “Pitch Black,” Brigid murmured, her voice ringing with ancient power, “Why did you call for me?”

“Jack is dying,” Pitch hissed, letting the barest hint of Jack’s spirit shine through the gaps of his fingers, “This was all I could save.”

Brigid gasped. Her hands hovered around the flame before she pulled back. “What would you have me do for him?”

“Give him strength. Let him live,” Pitch begged barely aware of the fact that he sunk to his knees before the shining saint. “I will give you anything you wish...just please...save Jack.”

“I will do what I can,” Brigid whispered placing her hands on the flame. A burst of magic, invisible but with the full weight of the Blessed Isle behind it, thundered through the clearing and focused in on the spark. Before they eyes, the flame grew. The delicate blue fire grew into a figure that slowly gained shape.

Jack, made of glittering soul fire, gasped as he collapsed into Pitch’s arms. The Nightmare King wrapped his arms around the boy and held him close, pressing adoring kisses to his mouth and whispering promises of safety with each caress. Jack clung back, crying silently as he hid himself in Pitch’s arms. Neither noticed Brigid disappearing as they came together under the stormy sky.

~*~

April 9, 2012

“...and what happened after that?” Katherine asked softly, unable to look away from Brigid's burning eyes, “How did Jack end up trapped here?”

“Faust stole the body and put his own soul within it. We found out when Pitch and I tried to reclaim the body to reunite Jack’s soul with it. Instead, we found Faust’s previous victim,” Brigid said softly, her eyes pained as she took a long drink from the bottle, “After that we did what we did to give Jack more time while we tried to fix it and tied him to this valley. Over time he became part of it...and we never did find a way to reunite him with his body.”

“And now he’s gone,” Katherine whispered.

“Yes, but he gave you this chance,” Brigid shrugged, “Jack sacrificed himself for you, so you could defeat Faust where we failed. He got you the crystal where no one else would have.”

Katherine nodded and picked up the crystal to look through it. Jack had given her the path through the woods. As long as she followed it, she would never be lost.

Katherine thought about Jack and how kind he was. And Pitch, who loved Jack so much that he would give anything to let Jack live on. The Fearling, who was once Cat and now no doubt was Labraid, who had found itself by spending the years by Jack’s side. She thought about what it meant to be a Guardian, not of Hope or Dreams, but of a lost boy and a dark spirit. They created a magic between them, a whole world in this little green valley where they lived together under the roof of the cottage.

The ink flowed from the quill in spiraling curls, creating a beautiful spread across the page in blues and greens and whites. There was magic in each sweep, a deep seated magic that sunk deep into the page itself. Katherine lost herself in that, lost herself in the flow and power of the written word. Text appeared next to the image, growing and spreading with loss and loss and pain and everything that made it worth living.

The light dimmed and reappeared. The world turned around her but Katherine didn’t care. She was lost in this magic, and just like Jack had guided her to the cave, the crystal guided her on where she needed to go. The swirls of leaves appeared overhead, bracketing a thick trunked tree that seemed to glow off the page. A frail white haired boy appeared on the page, surrounded by a deep blackness. But this wasn’t the dangerous darkness of the Crom Cruach, or even Pitch’s dark nightmares. This was a darkness that hid sacred things from sight so they would be protected and safe.

Hours were spent pouring over the text until the perfect picture appeared. Katherine gasped when the spell was finally broken, slumping forward and dropping the quill to the floor where it rolled out of sight.

A chair scraped across the floor as Brigid rose. Her face was impassive as she studied the picture, her glowing eyes dimmed as she thought. Then a small smile spread across her face, bringing with it light to the small cabin. “This will work,” Brigid breathed out in delight, “It will allow us to defeat Faust.”

Katherine couldn’t help herself. Delighted laughter bubbled up inside of her even as she clutched the beautiful drawing close to her. All of Jack’s pain, all of Pitch’s suffering, all the problems her friends had faced could be fixed with this one little picture. Everything was going to be alright now.

But there was one single problem.

“How do we find Faust?” Katherine asked quietly.

“We ask an old friend of mine,” Brigid stepped further into the cottage, “Labraid. I would speak with you.”

For a long while, nothing happened. The darkness of the cabin just laid there. Mourning the loss of Jack who had tended to it for so long. But Brigid did not falter and eventually the shadows reacted. Katherine watched as the Fearling came slinking out of the shadows in the shape of a cat.

Sad mournful red eyes were locked on the floor as the Fearling dragged itself over. After all this time, Katherine had not expected Jack’s Labraid to be the Fearling itself. With a twist of shadow the cat twisted up and into a more human like figure. The popping of bones echoed through, the snap of a spine reassembling itself. Black fur receded in clumps leaving raw grey skin to the world all the while those heavy red eyes continued to cry.

Brigid’s cold expression softened into something much softer at the sight of the sobbing Fearling. “Oh Labraid,” she whispered, “What has happened to you sweet?”

“He’s gone,” the Fearling hissed out, its voice still as disturbing as ever to Katherine’s ears, “My Jack-boy is gone!” A mournful whine cut through the cabin as it collapsed in on itself, “I guarded him since he was a child, before he came to this country,” the Fearling gasped out in a mournful wail, “I guided him through the woods to the town that saved him, protected him and his friends from the British soldiers who would have killed them! He gave me a life, a Name, and a purpose!”

The Fearling’s eyes landed on Katherine and the sadness seemed to fly away. Instead, a deep rage appeared as it hissed and changed again. Katherine stumbled back in fear as the Fearling took on its true shape for the first time in years (centuries, but she didn’t know that then). A deep snarl tore through the Fearling as it stalked forward. “You!” It’s roar rattled the windows even as the claws on its hands and feet cut into the wood, “You killed him! He would have been fine if you never came! The Nightmare King had a plan! We were going to save him from this hell!” It’s face twisted and for the first time in all of history, a Fearling in its true form began to cry. “We were going to save him...I was going to save him…”

The Fearling faded back into the washed out little girl Katherine had met. It just stared mournfully at the ground, stick thin arms holding itself close. If someone had told her even the day before that Fearling’s could feel, Katherine would have laughed in their face. But here she could see it, truly see how much Jack’s death had hurt it. It had hurt it far more than Jack’s death had hurt her.

Brigid stepped forward, her inner light growing even brighter. It shine brighter than even Nightlight as she held out a hand for the Fearling to take. “Jack wouldn’t want us to give up,” Brigid’s voice boomed through the cottage, “He would want us to keep going.”

The Fearling scowled in annoyance, “Well, what if I don’t want to keep going?”

“Even if it means destroying Faust?” Brigid’s voice was colder than the iciest wind. A distinctly bloodthirsty expression crossed her beautiful face, “Because I am quite happy with the idea of ripping Faust into tiny shreds.”

The Fearling’s expression turned disturbingly blank. Slowly a wicked smile crossed the young face revealing rows of needle sharp teeth. “What do you want me to do?” It hissed.

“Find Faust and discover his plan. There must be a reason why he started targeting the Guardians,” Brigid said coldly, hands clasped behind her back. The kind expression that she usually wore around Katherine had disappeared to be replaced by the cold glare of a battle hardened soldier. “We’ll meet up with Black in Burgess so you will be ample to find us here.”

The Fearling nodded once more before dissolving into the shadows. The last thing to go were the haunting glowing eyes that swirled into the darkness and left them alone. Katherine shivered in the chill night air, eyes locked on the book held securely in her hands. She wasn’t sure how to act around this new Brigid who seemed so different from the kind saint who had given her tea. She was almost a throwback to a more savage time, far removed from the comfortable world Katherine had grown used to.

Brigid turned away from where the Fearling had been standing, her face still a harsh mask. What had once been soft was now hard, what had been hard was even harder than before. “We will be leaving soon,” Brigid informed Katherine, “Put on more suitable clothes for a fight.”

“What’s wrong with what I am wearing?”

“No one can fight in a floor length gown,” Brigid said coolly, “Jack keeps...kept spare clothes in that trunk. Put on trousers and be ready to go in five minutes.” And all Katherine could do was watch as Brigid swept out of the cottage and into the forest.

She set down the pages that could change everything and walked to the chest. Nervously, she knelt down to test the lock that kept it close. It opened easily in her hands, well oiled and used throughout the years. Just as Brigid had said, there were clothes upon layers of clothes waiting there. They were just like the clothes Jack had been wearing throughout her stay. All made of wool, no doubt home spun, and dyed in pale shades.

It was simple enough to dig through and find an overly large sweater and pair of pants. Further exploration revealed a plain leather belt that she could use to hold the sweater on. Taking a step back, Katherine turned so that she could study her new look in the mirror.

She didn’t recognize herself in the shattered glass. Too pale to be fully healthy with eyes red from crying. Matted and tangled hair fell over the pale green sweater, so different than the usual bun that Katherine had worn for the last several centuries. There was a stranger in that reflection. No hint of the polished Guardian of Imagination stood there. This new Katherine was something else. Something beyond a Guardian. “What am I becoming?” Katherine whispered, reaching out to run her fingers across the glass.

No answer came from her reflection, not that she was expecting it to. She would have to find that answer some other day, but for now Katherine had to focus on dealing with Faust.

Taking a deep breath to steady her thrumming nerves, she turned and walked slowly from the cottage. Outdoors the sun was beginning to set, just beginning to light the sky in deep purples and golds. Against this backdrop Brigid stood as a stark reminder of the past.

She was wearing leather armor, a broadsword strapped to her back. Swirls of vibrant green paint stood out against her golden skin as she watched the trees sway in the wind. Katherine moved hesitantly to her side, clutching the pages that would save them to her chest. “It’s beautiful here,” Katherine admitted softly, “Jack must have felt lucky to live here.”

“He grew to hate it. To save him, I had to tie Jack to the land here,” Brigid’s smile turned cold. “He couldn’t leave this valley for over three hundred years. It was hell on him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Jack always wanted to see the world. It’s why he went with Pitch the first time.” Brigid sighed, but turned away from the sky to face Katherine. “Enough talking. It’s time for us to head west.”

Which of course raised the question of how. Katherine was used to traveling through the tunnels or on the sleigh, and sometimes even by snow globe. But Brigid was not like the other Guardians, and Katherine wasn't sure how she would manage to get them across the ocean in time to stop Faust. However, Brigid seemed to have some sort of plan as she went stalking through the forest with Katherine tight on her heels.

She led them all the way to a lake at the edge of the forest. Katherine paused at the tree line as Brigid walked proudly towards the center of the lake with purpose. A heavy boom sounded through the skies as dark clouds came to cover everything. The wind picked up, bringing the hint of rain on the breeze as it swirled through the mountain pass with a gleeful shriek. Brigid did not seem afraid of the storm, instead she seemed to embrace it.

The sky came spiraling down to the surface of the lake in a great crash. Katherine covered her eyes to protect them from the debris kicked up by the great windstorm, only feeling safe to lower her hand when the wind had stopped. A stunned gasp left Katherine as she took in the figure standing before her on the center of the lake.

A massive war horse stood firmly on the water. It’s eyes shone with lightning, main and take made of wind. The body of black clouds heaved as it trotted towards them thunder booming from each hoof fall before it came to a stop before Brigid and Katherine. The horse bowed before them presenting the great back for them to ride upon. Brigid didn’t even hesitate, she swung herself onto the back of the horse in one easy motion and held out a hand for Katherine. “Get on,” she hissed anticipation shining on her face.

Katherine nervously slid onto the horse and clung tight to Brigid. “How are we supposed to make it to Burgess in time?”

Brigid through her head back and began to laugh. It was a bright and mad thing, wild and free as the wilds. “We’re riding the Wind, dear child,” Brigid cackled, “You’re riding with a saint, tonight's a night for miracles. Making it to Burgess in time is just part of the experience!”

With that she kicked the horse into a mad gallop. Katherine screamed in terror as the horse began to run faster than even North’s sleigh. It sped over the forests and lakes of Ireland, through the fields and around the sheep. Finally though the reached the edge of the country where the great sea stretched onwards to the Americas. Katherine let out a shriek as the horse threw itself off of the edge of the cliff towards the rocks at the bottom.

But then the horse hit the water and began to run again. Onwards they raced over the waves. They moved through the twilight and back into the darkness of night. They lost time, going back to the day of Easter that Katherine had missed in the darkness fighting Crom Cruach.

They raced back onto Easter Sunday, and more importantly they headed to a point in time when a young boy would be able to change everything.

~*~

Labraid, once named Fearling, once named Cat, snuck through the shadows and into the lair of the Nightmare King. The other Fearlings ignored her as she moved past, too busy focusing on their own petty problems instead of the fact that their world was being threatened. All they cared about was where they would find their next source of fear to feed off of.

Some days Labraid missed being like the other Fearlings. It had been far more simple back then to just get by as part of the collective. One in a multitude of countless thousands, Labraid had been nameless and genderless. Only the Nightmare King held a title, only he was referred to as a he instead of as an it. That had been back before Labraid felt true emotion, before she had felt her heart break into a million pieces when Jack had died the first time.

Jack’s more permanent death now hurt even more than Labraid had ever imagined it could.

Having a heart hurt. Having an identity that tied into someone else hurt even more. There were days when Labraid wondered if it was worth becoming her own person. But then she remembered her life with Jack. The long days they had spent working together in the caravan with the other tinkers. Nights filled with laughter and song with Jack’s extended family before rushing off to join Pitch on a mad adventure. Early mornings in Jack’s cabin as they guided the lost out of the forest or helped them find a path to navigate their own lives. Happy. Labraid had been happy living with Jack, and that was worth the pain of having a heart.

She stepped out of the shadows in front of the globe. It was strange seeing it so large. Labraid was used to seeing the globe being much larger than her when she would wander around in her cat form. But the good part about being larger than usual was that Labraid would be able to find Pitch faster.

Small grey feet darted over the cold floor as Labraid scurried out of the globe room and into the maze of the lair. Each room revealed a lack of Pitch Black and the longer she went the more annoyed Labraid became. Where could that blasted man have gotten to?

“Well, well. What do we have here?” Labraid stiffened as a cold voice sounded behind her. That wasn’t the Nightmare King, that was someone else. A stranger to this lair.

Turning on her heel, Labraid froze at the sight before her. Jack was standing in the middle of the hallway. But that was impossible, Jack had died helping the stupid Katherine girl find her way. It could possibly be her Jack.

Now that the shock was wearing off, Labraid could see the difference. His hair was brown not white like it had been since his death. The pale skin was now a healthy pink that screamed life and vitality which was something her Jack lacked. And his eyes were the color of blood as he leered at Labraid from down the hallway, her Jack would never look so coldly on anyone before.

A hiss rose up in Labraid’s throat as she glared hatefully at Faust. How dare he stand before her wearing her Jack’s body? “Where’s Pitch,” Labraid spat out.

“Off ruining Easter, just like I ordered,” Faust purred as he advanced on her. Labraid backed up trying to keep plenty of distance between the two of them. The other Fearlings began to hiss, advancing on Faust as they tugged protectively on the hem of Labraid’s dress.

“Why destroy Easter,” Labraid hissed, “Why start all of this? We existed on the same level as the Nightmare King for centuries without dealing with the Guardians, why ruin all of it?”

“Why, for my master of course,” Faust chuckled, “The Prince of Darkness came to me and whispered in my ear that it was time for the Light to fall. And what better way to do so than take out the ones who guard the next generation? Their lack of wonder and hope will twist them into something malicious that will bring glory to my master’s plans. And Pitch fell so sweetly into this trap. His love for the mortal boy was ultimately his downfall, for as long as he kept Jack’s spirit alive I was able to steal some of his power to bolster my own! Pitch gave me the ultimate power source!”

“No he didn’t!” Labraid screamed, tears welling up in her eyes, “Pitch saved Jack because he loves him! That’s not evil!”

“But the Devil is in the details my dear Fearling,” Faust purred reaching out to grab Labraid, “And the details say Pitch is going to destroy the Gaurdians for me…”

No, no this couldn’t happen. Jack would never want this to happen. He would want to find a way to save Pitch, to bring him back from the darkness and back into the light. But Jack wasn’t here to save the day, so Labraid would have to do it herself.

She threw herself into the shadows as the Fearlings surged forward to attack Faust. The screams of the mad necromancer echoed in the darkness even as her Fearling siblings pulled her deeper and deeper into the dark of the lair.

 _Go and end to this sister_ , they hissed in her ears. A multitude of hands pulled her forward while more pushed as well. Some lifted her feet as she could run while together brushed through her wild hair. _Save the day, just as our boy would have. Be safe Labraid._

And then she was falling out of the shadows and onto a hard wooden floor. The crack of her knees hitting the wood echoed in the small room and for the first time in her life, Labraid felt pain. Tears welled up in her eyes as she sat there, staring stupidly at the ground even as she attempted to curl up into a ball.

Sobs wracked her too thin frame. Everything was ruined. Her knee hurt, and she was cold, and she wanted to go home! Labraid wanted to go racing into the cottage and find Jack sitting at the table with a cup of tea in his hand. Or even racing down to the lakeside because Pitch had decided to visit them. And then there were the days when Brigid, or Patrick, or Columba would come by to visit and the good china would come out for a little while so they could enjoy themselves. Labraid wanted home, and to be a cat again! She didn't want any of this!

Her loud wail echoed through the bedroom she had camped out in. Curling into a small ball of misery and hopelessness, Labraid didn’t notice the small boy getting out of his bed and approaching her.

Jamie Bennett had been about to give up on the whole idea of magical creatures. Sure, the Toothfairy had been in his room last night with Santa and the Easter Bunny, but there had been no egg hunt today. And of course all his friends didn’t believe anymore and Jamie didn’t want to admit it but he was beginning to doubt that magic was actually real and not even Sophie’s stuffed bunny could give him an answer.

That had been when the stranger girl had come falling out of the shadows onto his floor. Jamie could only gape as she curled up into a little ball. She had just jumped out of the shadows! That was so cool! Magic had to be real!

But...she was crying… He wasn’t supposed to leave someone who was crying, Mom had told him that. You were supposed to make their day better. So even though she had to be magic and weird, Jamie needed to help her. So he got off his bed and walked quietly to kneel down in front of her. And then she looked up and saw him and they both screamed in shock.

She did look weird! Her skin was grey, and her gold eyes were glowing! Not to mention the pointed teeth or too thin limbs sticking out of a thin black dress. A scowl crossed her young face as she stared at Jamie. “Who are you?” She hissed. Her voice was kind of weird too, he’d never heard of an accent like hers before.

Jamie glared right back at her. “I should be asking that! This is my room! Why are you here!”

The scowl disappeared only to be replaced by a mournful expression on her face. “Jack’s gone, and I’m all alone,” she wailed, burying her face back in her knees before sobbing again.

Jamie knelt down in front of her. He was afraid to reach out to the weird girl, what if she bit him? “Is Jack your brother or something?”

“No, he’s just Jack. We’ve been together for as long as I’ve known,” the girl muttered mournfully still refusing to look up.

“Why did he go away?” Jamie asked. She looked really sad and he didn’t want that. So he stopped worrying about her biting him and reached out to pull her into a hug.

Stunned yellow eyes peered out of long black hair before falling back to the floor. “Crom Cruach took Jack away. He was helping stupid Katherine get something so she would beat Faust for good.”

“Whose Faust?” Jamie asked quietly, “Is he like the Boogeyman? Because all my friend’s have been saying the Boogeyman got rid of the Sandman to give us bad dreams.”

“Faust is making the Nightmare King work for him. He was using Jack as a hostage,” the girl explained mournfully, “Pitch loves Jack more than anything in the whole wide world! So Faust stole Jack’s body and made him a ghost. Now he’s threatening to hurt Jack’s body if Pitch doesn’t do what he wants!”

“So the Boogeyman is doing it cause he’s in love with Jack. Makes sense,” Jamie muttered. He gasped as he suddenly realized something, “Wait, you said Jack. Do you mean Jack Frost? He’s real?”

The girl glared. “Of course Jack Frost is real! We’ve been living in our cottage for three hundred years!” she uncurled enough to reach forward and poke Jamie’s shoulder, “Only something real could be as bad at doing laundry as Jack.”

They both shared a quick smile before sobering once more. The weight of the problems they were facing were pressing down on them. How were they supposed to beat Faust?

“What now?” Jamie whispered.

The girl’s nose scrunched up. “Brigid and stupid Katherine have a plan,” she told Jamie seriously, “But I need to find Pitch and tell him about it so he can help.”

“Then I’ll help you,” Jamie announced seriously holding a hand out for her to shake. “I’m Jamie.”

The girl hesitated but eventually took his hand to shake in return. “I call myself Labraid,” she smiled shyly back at Jamie, “I’ve never had anyone but Jack ask about my name before.”

“I’m glad to be on your list now,” Jamie said cheerfully even as he took her hand. “Come on, let’s go find the Boogeyman!” And with that the two went racing from the room together. They tumbled down the stairs together. Labraid waited patiently as Jamie slipped on his boots before retaking his hand and leading him out onto the snowy front porch.

The sound of sleigh bells had the pair looking up. Jamie gasped in delight as he noticed the bright red sleigh coming down for a landing unaware of Labraid’s reaction. She paled, a truly impressive action seeing how pale she already was. Pitch had warned her of the Guardians when she’d first gained her own independence. She still remembered the warning that they would destroy her if they ever saw her, and how she should run if they appeared. But Labraid couldn't run away because she needed to do Jack’s job now.

“This is so cool!” Jamie cried as the sleigh landed. His eyes practically sparkled with joy as the Guardians came stumbling out of the sleigh. Labraid leaned around Jamie’s shoulder and scowled. She stayed rooted to her spot even as Jamie went rushing over to greet the Guardian’s with only the simple happiness a child could hold. The Guardian’s looked terrible, so apparently Pitch was doing well against them. Apparently Jack was wrong, Pitch could function without Jack there to guide him.

“Labraid!” She startled when Jamie called out to her. Big yellow eyes turned towards the boy, ignoring how the others were staring at her. Especially the glowing boy. Instead Labraid focused on Jamie’s bright smile as he faced her. “They said they’ll help us find Pitch!” Jamie chatters happily.

Labraid smiled nervously, taking a hesitant step forward. “That’s good I guess,” she whispered nervously, “But where’s the Easter Bunny?”

St. North coughed awkwardly, trading hesitant looks with the Tooth Fairy. Nightlight was still watching her, holding his spear in a white knuckled grip. “Bunny...was affected by failed Easter,” St. North said slowly.

Labraid opened her mouth to demand to know more when the fluffy ball of grey fur came scampering off the edge of the sleigh. The Easter Bunny was now a small fluffy ball that could fit easily in Labraid’s arms which was quite different than the six foot tall rabbit she had once spied delivering eggs to the Irish children. “What happened to him,” Labraid demanded resisting the urge to scoop up the rabbit and cuddle him close. Suddenly she could understand why Jack liked carrying her around so much.

“Like you wouldn’t know,” the rabbit sneered hopping forward to kick Labraid’s shin, “You did this with Pitch! Don’t play dumb, we all saw you helping to destroy Easter!”

“I didn’t destroy Easter,” Labraid muttered as she looked into the shades trying to find a Pitch, “I was in Ireland when Easter was happening.”

“What, crushing those eggs Fearling?”

“Helping Brigid of course, what else would I be doing,” Labraid grumbled while sneaking forward to lean against Jamie for comfort. She didn’t like being around so many people who were so much bigger than her, “And my name's not Fearling. It’s Labraid.”

That seemed to disturb them at the very least. Never before had a Fearling presented themselves with a name which was a sign of a more human creature and Fearlings were certainly not considered to be human. Sure, a small part of Labraid was happy to see them struggling to recognize that she was a thinking feeling creature but there were bigger issues that needed to be addressed. Like finding Pitch and getting his help. But the Guardian’s didn’t care about dealing with that type of issue, they only cared about protecting children.

That meant Jamie would be safer with the Guardian’s than if he went with her. And Labraid wanted him to be safe, he was her first friend and that was very special. She couldn’t place Jamie in danger, no matter how nice it would be to have someone to go with her.

Labraid reached out to take Jamie’s hand in hers. “I need to go,” she said softly ignoring the hostile look Nightlight was giving her, “I have to find Pitch.”

“But I thought we were going to that together,” Jamie protested.

“I’ve never been alone before. Jack or Pitch have always been there,” Labraid admitted letting go of Jamie’s hand to sink into the shadows, “So I need to be able to do this for myself.” And with that she allowed herself to fall backwards into the shadows ignoring the protests of the Guardian’s. Let them focus on Jamie for he was child, and they only cared about the children of the world. Labraid was not a child, even if she did look like one and she did not need to be coddled by them.

Still, Labraid would be able to search the town of Burgess better from the darkness surrounding it. Even the street lamps that lit the wide city streets left little shadows for her to creep through in search of Pitch. But no matter where Labraid looked, she was unable to find Pitch. It was rather frustrating at this point as she ran round and round the darkness without a clue as to where Pitch could possibly be.

When the Nightmare King entered the town, Labraid felt it. His very presence radiated down through her bones bringing Labraid to a halt for a long minute before she burst into motion again. She tore through the shadows under cars and swerved through alley ways. It was only a matter of time before she would find Pitch and tell him Brigid’s great plan. But it didn’t help that the defatted Nightmare King continued to run about the place like a chicken with its head cut off.

Finally though he stopped moving and Labraid was able to hone in on him. He...he was in the park at the edge of the city! What was the silly man doing there? Pitch wasn’t a big fan of parks for some reason so he had to be dying of course to have been standing there. So Labraid came sprinting out from behind a tree without a care in the world.

She didn’t care that the Guardian’s were standing with their weapons drawn, or even that the Sandman had miraculously reappeared to join the fight. Let the Guardian’s take their silly victory, Labraid had bigger issues to deal with. Like the Nightmare King standing defiant before the might of Childhood's Champions with a great scythe in hand. Pitch looked diminished somehow. He was greyer than normal, face almost gaunt and lacking his cloak of fear. He almost looked normal and that worried Labraid more than anything. Pitch had never looked normal in the entire time she knew him, he had always appeared so otherworldly and she had to fix this before it became worse!

“Pitch!” Labraid shrieked, darting out from behind the tree and sprinting across the snowy ground. She ducked around the Sandman with a determined scowl and under the leg of a golden unicorn that was guarding a group of pajama dressed children. Jamie’s eyes widened in shock as Labraid darted over him, his shocked cry of “Labraid!” getting everyone’s attention. The Easter Bunny, now regrown, groaned in exasperation and exclaimed, “Great, now the Fearling is joining in!” but Labraid ignored him and kept running towards Pitch.

Pitch, for his part, just stared at her in shock. His hands went slack and the scythe dipped dangerously towards the ground as Labraid skidded to a stop in front of him with a furious scowl on her face. “La...Labraid,” Pitch croaked out in shock, “How is this possible? Last I saw you, you were a cat.”

Labraid planted her hands on her hips. “Obviously I moved beyond that, but how would you know? Sulking about like this and getting into silly fights,” Labraid pulled on her best unamused voice that she’d learned from Jack when he scolded the children who got lost in his wood. “Where have you been?”

Pitch just stared at her, “Why are you here? You should be in Ireland with Jack.”

“And you should be in your lair, but you weren’t so here I came,” Labraid snapped. She reached out and grabbed one of Pitch’s hands in her tiny ones, “Now come on, we need to leave!” She tugged desperately but Pitch did not move. His golden eyes were locked on her even as Labraid attempted to move him from the middle of the street.

“Why are you not in Ireland?” Pitch demanded, his voice harsh, “Did Jack send you here?”

Labraid refused to look at Pitch. “Brigid sent me, now we need to go!” Labraid was well aware that the Guardian’s and the children were slowly working up the nerve to approach them. She wanted to be far away before that happened.

Pitch’s eyes narrowed. “Why was Brigid ordering you about?” He hissed, his hand reaching out to latch on Labraid’s wrist in a tight grip. Even though Pitch’s harsh grip ground her wrist bones together, she was not afraid of him. Pitch would never dare to harm her, he had proved that over the course of the long centuries they had spent with Jack. “Tell me, what has happened to Jack?”

Labraid stared blankly at the hand holding her wrist. How strange was it that Pitch’s skin was darker than her? Maybe it had been due to the amount of time that she had spent in the presence of saints and holy figures. Perhaps some of their goodness had rubbed off onto her skin. Which could of course explain why it felt like her heart was breaking.

“Jack...Jack’s gone,” Labraid whispered. She couldn’t understand why her eyes were filling up with tears, not right now.

“No.” Pitch’s denial was a quiet pain that hid the depth of his heartbreak, “No. He’s safe back at the cottage.”

Labraid shook her head in denial. “Not anymore,” she admitted quietly, “Faust…”

That was all Pitch needed to hear. His eyes hardened even as a fire lit behind them, glowing with a hatred born over centuries of watching his lover suffer in a sort of limbo. His lips pulled back into a wicked snarl before he lunged into the shadows to go search for Faust. There was no doubt that he would rip the dark necromancer into shreds.

Before Labraid was able to rush after him to join in the battle, she was scooped up and off the ground. A furious yowl, reminiscent of a cat, left her as she was held up far above the ground by the very annoyed St. North. She struggled in the air, legs kicking futilely seeing how there were no shadows she could touch to escape from the Guardian’s.

“Now then, little Fearling,” St. North growled, “It is time we have a little talk. Who is this Faust that you mention?”

Labraid hissed as she was turned in the air to meet the unamused blue eyes. She could see Nightlight and the Tooth Fairy standing the closets while the Easter Bunny and Sandman attempted to keep the children back and away from her. Jamie looked especially distressed to see Labraid hanging by the scruff of her slip.

“Faust is the whole reason Pitch is fighting you,” Labraid spat out, “We were happy, but Faust was holding what made Pitch happy hostage. So he had to listen to Faust and use the stupid sand horses for battle!”

“Wait, you mean the Nightmare’s aren’t Pitch’s creations?” The Tooth Fairy cut in, surprise making her head ruff rise. No one noticed the storm brewing overhead as they focused on the Fearling.

Labraid rolled her eyes. Of course they would think Pitch would come up with something like that! He wasn’t that creative when it came to monster, Pitch had always favored dark and looming over anything else. It had been Jack who had been the creativity behind Pitch’s schemes, he would have been the one to think up of a Night-Mare. But of course the Guardian’s didn’t know that because they had never really cared about Jack and her.

“Faust made the Nightmares,” Labraid sneered at them, “And Pitch is going to stop him, and I need to help before everything is over!” That was her cue to start struggling for freedom once more as the clouds darkened even more and the wind picked up.

“This can’t be serious,” the Easter Bunny complained, “No way a Fearling wouldn’t be lying to us!”

“But it does make a certain amount of sense,” the Tooth Fairy whispered, “Pitch hasn’t been active since the late 1700’s, and if Faust was threatening him it would explain that…”

“A trick,” Nightlight hissed, glaring at Labraid, “Has to be a trick.”

Labraid opened her to tell that stupid glow bug what for when the storm hit. All eyes rose to the skies as lightning split the air with a booming crack. The wind was screaming, but there was no rain with the storm which hinted at the supernatural. The lightning flash illuminated a horse galloping at full speed down the street, the wind the whinny of the warhorse as it thundered towards them.

St. North dropped Labraid as he threw himself out of the way of the horse with the fairy and glow bug on his heels. The rider did not stop the charge, the shining gold of her hair and sword lighting the darkness and revealing a savage grin and war paint. Behind her was a much younger woman, more of a girl, clutching a book to her chest as wide eyes stared fearfully ahead. Then, in another second, they had gone thundering past and went racing towards the woods with the storm announcing their presence.

“What,” the Easter Bunny gasped out, his fur ruffled and eyes wide, “Was that?”

Labraid’s smile was a savage thing. “The cavalry is here,” she hissed before dropping into the shadows to join in the fight leaving the Guardian's behind.

~*~

Katherine clutched the book tightly to her chest as Brigid steered the horse towards the woods at the edge of Burgess. The dark woods leered above them, foreboding and sinister as the tree branches reached for them like skeletal fingers. It was so different than the pleasant woods Jack had lived in, and Katherine had to wonder at what such a small difference could cause.

They went thundering through the woods, heading deeper and deeper into the dangerous place. The wind war horse did not falter as it thundered over stone and logs, crushing them to shards under its hooves. Through all of this, the book she clung to tightly remained bound and safe in her arms protected from the wind. Which Katherine was thankful for, because this book was what would allow them to win.

It was both too soon, and not soon enough, when they cleared the tree line. A frozen lake glittered before them, and on any other night it would have been the perfect picture. But tonight, it was the host to a great battle. Pitch was already there, his face pulled back in a fierce snarl as he cut through Nightmare after Nightmare in an attempt to get to Faust who was standing on the opposite bank of the lake with a smile on his face.

Brigid took one look at Faust and let out the loudest scream Katherine had ever heard before in her life! It was all pain, and rage, far beyond the loss of just one friend. It was centuries of pain and hatred rolled into one noise that the wind joined in with before throwing herself from the war horse and charging head first at the nearest Nightmare. She was shining, bright and beautiful as she cut through the Nightmare in a blaze of green gold light like a warrior of old.

The war horse exploded out from under Katherine. She screamed as it returned to its natural state of storm, throwing itself forward to smash into the Nightmares with a scream of rage only nature could manage. Which of course meant Katherine was left all alone on the bank of the lake with nothing but a book to protect her.

A book she didn’t even know how to use!

How was she supposed to use this to defeat Faust? Yes, the pictures were beautiful. Yes, the story had made Katherine cry and it had made her think realize just what Pitch had been dealing with over the centuries on his own. It was a truly tragic story, of life thwarted by death and dark magic. But Katherine had been told by Jack that there was magic in this type of book and she had faith in him. It was all she had now.

But what use was it when Faust was so powerful? Even with rage fueling every blow, Pitch and Brigid were beginning to fail under the Nightmares. There were simply too many of them for the pair to defeat on their own and Katherine could see them flagging. And she could tell from Faust’s wide grin that he realized it too. Which of course was when another combatant entered the fight. A black shadow lunged over Katherine’s head with a snarl. A massive black panther landed on one of the Nightmares and bit into it and clawed viciously as well.

For a half second Katherine was afraid that only Labraid would come to Brigid and Pitch’s aid, but of course that was when hope arrive. A sob of relief was pulled from Katherine as the Guardian's emerged from the woods, all of them armed to the teeth and ready to fight besides the other three. Her friends had come, and everything would be alright now!

Except that Jack had said they would need the book to win. And Katherine could tell that was true when she took a second look at the battle and saw that Faust still had the numbers on his side and was slowly pushing her friends back. And all they needed to win was for Katherine to figure out how to work that book!

“I don’t know what to do,” Katherine gasped out, curling around the book. “Jack...what do I do?”

The sound of snow crunching under heavy boots caught Katherine’s attention. She raised her head and gasped at the sight before her. A small gaggle of children armed only in winter coats and pajamas were standing before her. Their wide eyes were locked on the massive battle taking place in front of them, expressions of shock were locked on their young faces as they watched these figures fighting in front of them.

“Woah,” Cupcake whispered, nudging Jamie, “That looks so cool!”

Jamie frowned at the sight before them. “But...it looks like they’re losing,” Jamie said softly, “They can’t lose, they’re the good guys! The good guys always win!”

Katherine couldn’t help herself. An amused snort left her at the thought of Pitch being a good guy. Her snort brought the children’s attention to her. “Who are you?” Pips demanded. “Why are you here?”

“I’m Katherine,” she gripped the book tighter, “And I’m here because...well. Because Jack asked me to bring the book here. It’s supposed to defeat Faust, but I don’t know how.”

Jamie knelt down next to her in the snow. His eyes were drawn to the beautiful book in Katherine’s hands with the picture of the smiling young man with laughing eyes on the cover. “Who's Jack?” Jamie asked quietly, “Labraid mentioned him, but she never explained who he was or what he did.”

“Jack was a saint. The Saint of the Lost,” Katherine whispered softly. She didn’t notice that the book had begun to glow as she told the story of St. Frost and bolstered the children’s faith in him. No one really did at all. “He took me in and gave me direction when I was lost and afraid and showed me the way again. Without him, I would never have made it this far.”

Above them a few flakes of snow began to fall.

“Jack believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself,” Katherine continued, filling the children’s heads with the story in the book, “He was amazing. He even taught the Nightmare King what it was to love again.”

“Wow,” Jamie whispered softly, “I wish he was here to show us what to do.”

And in that brief second, the children did not believe in St. Frost. No, instead they did something far more powerful and had the simple but pure faith that he would appear and make everything right. And who was St. Frost to deny them this?

Katherine blinked as something cold and wet landed on her nose. She looked up, the children copying her, to see the clear night sky filled with gently falling snow. “It can’t be snowing,” Claude protested, “It’s too late in the year for it to snow.”

But that didn’t seem to deter the snow any. It continued to fall in fat merry flakes, drifting gently through the breeze to cover everything in a layer of pure white. Above the lake the snow began to glow with an inner blue light. All of the fighting on the ice ceased as they noticed the light pouring from the snow fall to bathe everything in crystal colors.

Brigid reached out and caught a snowflake in her hand. It melted quickly, the light seeping to her skin bringing with it a feeling of comfort and joy that reached deep down into the core of her being. She looked up in shock, meeting Pitch’s eyes. “This can’t be,” Brigid whispered, “He’s dead.”

Pitch did not respond no after a long minute Brigid realized he wasn’t even looking at her. She turned to follow his line of sight and noticed he was staring out into the woods past where Katherine and the children huddled. He was watching a figure approach them through the snow storm.

It was the sound of feet crunching on snow that caught Katherine’s attention. She turned, worried it would be some horror that Faust had conjured and came face to face with a miracle. Serene blue eyes met her’s as a playful mouth tugged up into a grin. The snow blended into the white hair and pale skin as bare feet glided across the ground closer to the lake. Plain leather pants and cotton shirt were covered by a worn old cloak as the figure’s staff glowed with the same blue light that came from the snow.

Everything stopped, and all turned to stare in shock. For St. Jack Frost had returned to the land of the living and was stepping onto the ice of the lake. Delicate glowing ferns of frost spread out across the ice as Jack floated across it. One of the Nightmares reared up to strike him down, but Jack did not cower from it. Instead, he reached up and pressed his hand to the Nightmare’s chest. A flash of blue white light spread out from his hand and then the Nightmare collapsed into a pile of snowdrops as Jack continued to walk.

His eyes were focused on Faust at the other end of the lake. It was eeries, Katherine realized, to see Jack and Faust together. It was clear now that Faust had stolen Jack’s body from him seeing how they were both opposites staring down at each other. Jack was all pale lines, whites and blues compared to Faust who was brown and flushed with life. They could have been twins.

“No,” Faust hissed, taking a fearful step away from Jack, “No! This isn’t possible! You died! I killed you years ago!”

Jack, no St. Frost, didn’t respond. Instead he moved gracefully forward unstoppable in his peaceful march.

“I killed you!” Faust shrieked. His foot caught on the root of a tree and sent him tumbling down to the ground in a flurry of snow and cloth. “You can’t be here!”

St. Frost paused, standing over Faust’s prone form. He knelt on the ground, his face peaceful as a gentle smile crossed his face. “You’re a far way from home, Johan Faust,” Jack said gently, “You lost your way a long time ago.”

Faust shook his head in denial. He tried to scoot away from Jack, but there was no where he could go. “I am not lost!” Faust hissed, his eyes wild with terror, “I know exactly where I am and what I have been doing!”

Jack reached out a hand and rested it on Faust’s cheek. “You must be so tired after these long years,” Jack whispered, his hand began to glow where it rested, “Just relax, and I will show you the way.”

The blue glow began to grow brighter. It got to the point where Katherine had to avert her eyes from the light to keep her eyesight. Even with her eyes squeezed shut the harsh glow of the blue light began to weep through. And then, just as suddenly as the light started it faded away to nothing.

Blinking spots from her eyes, Katherine looked across the lake to where Jack and Faust had been standing. Only one figure was kneeling there now in front of a pile of snow drops. The white snow stood out on his brown hair and melted against his skin as he rose to stand fully on two bare feet. Katherine was afraid of what she would see in his eyes when he turned. Was it Jack, or Faust who remained?

Pitch’s scythe disappeared in a swirl of shadow. He took a hesitant step forward, shadowed by Brigid and Labraid.Pitch’s mouth opened several times but he appeared unable to form any words. “Jack?” Brigid’s voice was softer than Katherine had ever heard it, “Is that you?”

The figure turned and for a brief second Katherine was terrified that it was Faust. She had only seen Faust with brown hair and freckles, never Jack. But then he opened his eyes and revealed shining bright blue.

A silly grin grew across his face, a pure joy lighting it with an inner light. “Hey there Nightmare Man,” Jack teased gently, “Where the hell is my cat?”

Brigid snorted before dissolving into relieved laughter. The panther that had been Labraid ran forward with a relieved yowl, turning back into a little girl when her feet touched the bank. She threw herself into Jack’s arms with a delighted shriek. “I’m so happy you’re back,” Labraid said happily, “I missed you so much Jack!”

Jack’s arms wrapped around Labraid’s shoulders. “Labraid,” he said with amazement, “It’s nice to see you to. But...you were a cat.” Jack’s face screwed up in annoyance, “You were a cat. Why are you not a cat anymore? Pitch! What did you do to Labraid when I was gone!”

“I didn’t touch her!” Pitch snapped back, storming over to loom over Jack. Both pointedly ignored how Pitch placed a protective hand on Jack’s shoulder, “She just appeared like this.”

“Sure she did,” Jack grumbled before turning to face the gathered Guardian's. “Thanks for helping them,” Jack said sincerely, holding Labraid close, “Lord knows I don’t trust them on their own.”

“Says the one who got himself killed,” Pitch hissed.

“It...was no trouble,” North managed to stutter out. “We were glad to help?”

Jack would have believed him if North hadn’t sounded so questioning. But still, it was good to know that there had been help even if they had been forced into this instead of choosing to do it of their own free will. Honestly, Jack was just thankful that Faust was gone now.

The sound of a sword sliding into leather broke the heavy quiet as Brigid walked towards the trio. Her war paint was smudged, and her clothing ripper, but she looked more alive than ever in Jack’s eyes. “Well, I guess we’re done here,” Brigid announced, placing her hands on her hips, “What do you say to me taking us home?”

Pitch sneered at her, “Your method of travel is inconsistent and unreliable.”

“Says the guy called Nightmare King,” Brigid grumbled and it all felt so normal that Jack wanted to cry from sheer relief.

A tug on the hem of his shirt drew Jack’s attention back to Labraid. “We’re leaving?” She questioned mournfully, “Can I at least say goodbye to Jamie?”

“Uh...yeah sure,” Jack waited until Labraid went skittering across the ice. He turned to Pitch, “Whose Jamie?”

Pitch snorted and pointed at the amusing sight of Labraid throwing herself into a young man. “I assume he is her new friend,” Pitch said dryly, “Be careful Jack, or you could end up with another child in the cottage.”

Jack scowled and leaned over to punch Pitch’s shoulder. “That’s not funny,” he hissed, “I don't even know how to handle small children!”

Pitch stared incredulously. “You used to watch your caravans children all the time.”

“That was over three hundred years ago!”

“As exciting as your domestic is,” Brigid drawled, “Someone wants to say goodbye to to you Jack.”

And indeed, Katherine was standing before them. Jack couldn’t help but grinning at her. She looked so different than the polished girl he had first met. She appeared more like a young woman now with an added weight in her eyes that Jack was quite familiar with. But it looked right on her, as did the book in her arms.

“Hey there Katherine,” Jack nodded at his old clothes, “You look good in that. Beats a dress any day in my opinion.”

Katherine summoned up a weak smile. “I’m glad to see you're alright,” her expression crumpled, “Jack, I’m so sorry I got you killed.”

Jack stepped forward and pulled her in for a hug. He worked very hard to ignore Pitch’s not so subtle “What does she mean she killed him? I thought Faust did it!” and Brigid’s demands that he be quiet. Instead Jack gave her a quick squeeze before pulling away.

“It all worked out though,” Jack gave her a wink, “Just like I said it would. So don’t feel bad about this anymore or I’ll have to beat you up.”

Katherine let out a watery laugh. “Oh Jack, I don’t what I’m going to do without you.”

“Well. That’s the beauty of an ending like this isn't it?” Jack teased, “You can still pop round for a spot of tea whenever you feel lost and I’ll help point out the way.”

Katherine smiled, “I’d like that.”

Jack gave her one last hug and stepped back to stand next to Pitch. He reached out and took the Nightmare King’s hand in his. Labraid came scrambling across the ice and grabbed Jack’s other hand in her’s. “We need to come back soon,” she informed Jack seriously, “I promised Jamie a play date soon.”

“A play date,” Jack muttered quietly, “We’re making play dates now. How is this my life?”

“It’s better than the alternative after all,” Brigid pointed out cheerfully, taking Labraid’s other hand.

Pitch sneered at her, “How can you be so callous about death after today?”

“We’re Irish,” Jack said proudly, “We think about death all the time. Now let’s go home.”

And with that the shadows surged forward and covered the four. A second passed, and then the shadows receded showing that they were gone leaving the Guardian’s and children standing alone on the lake.

It had stopped snowing, Katherine realized with a silly smile. Jack was alive, Faust was gone, and everything was going to be alright soon.

Nightlight came forward to stand by her side. They both stared at the place where saints, Fearling, and nightmare had stood together just minutes ago. For the first time in centuries she wasn’t sure what her dear friend was thinking. It was terrifying...but at the same time exciting.

“Something happened while you were gone,” Nightlight said softly, “You’ve changed Katherine.”

She smiled and reached out to take his hand in her’s. “I saw a miracle dear Nightlight,” Katherine admitted while squeezing his hand, “Don’t worry. I’ll tell you all about it.”

For a brief second, Katherine could have sworn she saw a black cat with glowing eyes watching her. But the moment passed and she realized it was just the shadows of the tree under the moonlight. But that was alright. Because she definitely was planning on visiting Jack soon to see how he was adjusting.

~*~

May 2012

There is a place hidden deep in the mountains. Protected by the great woodland forests of Glendalough and overlooking the beauty of the twin lakes. A happy cottage sits among the trees surround by a vibrant garden filled with herbs and healing plants. Magic is very real in this cottage. It guides souls who are lost and confused back onto the paths they need to travel and shows them the way back into the light.

A young man was sitting on the front step of the cottage playing with the staff in his hands. A playful smile was present on his face as he stared into the shadows. An air of excitement was wrapped around him.

The smile grew as a tall figure emerged from the shadows. A tall, proud figure strode out of the darkness. Jack rose from the step and darted forward. He threw his arms around Pitch’s neck and pulled the Nightmare King into a quick kiss.

Pitch pulled back, making sure to hold Jack close. “I’m still getting used to you with brown hair,” Pitch admitted with a slight smile.

Jack beamed back up at him. “I miss it to,” Jack admitted with a coy smile, “Made me look mysterious.”

That brought out a shirt bark of laughter from Pitch. Jack loved when he managed to make Pitch laugh, it was his favorite pass time. “Did Labraid get there alright?” Jack asked softly.

“Last I saw her, she was happily playing with that horde of children for a sleepover,” the disdain was obvious in Pitch’s voice when he said sleepover and it was adorable. “Now then Jack, have you decided where you want to go?”

Jack hummed thoughtfully. “Brigid said the Ashikaga Flower Park was beautiful at this time of year.”

Pitch smiled slowly. “Then Japan it is.”

Three hundred years ago, a young boy had run away with the Nightmare King to see the wide wide world. Now, three hundred years after their first meeting, they’re still happily running. After all, they had all the time in the world to see everything life had to give them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are at the end! Pitch and Jack reunited, Labraid adding to make a happy family. Brigid got to beat stuff up and Katherine has been exposed to this whole other world.

**Author's Note:**

> Here is part 1! I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you thought of it. I should be putting the second part up soon.


End file.
